North Africa’s Security
Security | Defense | Terrorism
Mali: Diplomatic Rift Widens as France Expels Malian Envoys, Halts Counterterrorism Ties
Diplomatic ties between Mali and France have sharply deteriorated after Mali detained a French national on coup-plotting charges, leading France to expel two Malian diplomats and suspend joint counterterrorism efforts. In response, Mali expelled five French embassy staff, ending a lengthy era of security cooperation between the two countries.
SECURITY & DEFENSE
Sahel: Funding the insurgency with illegally acquired gold
Several "suspected terrorists" were arrested and more than 40,000 sticks of dynamite and detonator cords for illegal gold mining -- a new source of funding for armed groups in the Sahel -- were seized in a joint operation with the UN, Interpol said on Monday. Jointly...
Tunisia: Shepherd in Kasserine beheaded, authorities say attackers are terrorists
The decapitated body of a young man has been found in Tunisia's central Kasserine region, in a probable "terrorist" attack, a justice official said. "The decapitated body of a young man has been found... and it is probable that a terrorist group was behind the...
Sahel: Why the G5 Sahel force remains completely ineffective
Three years ago West African nations launched a joint force touted as a giant's stride in the fight against Islamist militants sweeping across the Sahel. But lack of equipment, funds and training, together with problems in deployment and coordination on the ground,...
Evidence of alleged Russian and French involvement in covert online operations targeting North Africa and Sahel
The government of Chad announced Thursday it would open an inquiry after Facebook said it had closed down fake accounts used by Russia and France in a battle for influence in Africa. The US tech giant said on Tuesday it had closed down two Russian-linked networks of...
Sahel: Boko Haram raids village in southern Niger, kills 27
Nigeria's Boko Haram Islamist group on Monday claimed responsibility for the weekend attack on a village in neighbouring Niger that left 27 dead. More people were wounded and some reported missing in the assault on Saturday evening on Toumour in the Diffa region, said...
The Western Sahara: What’s at stake?
Disputed and divided Western Sahara is a former Spanish colony, mostly under Morocco's control, where tensions have simmered since the 1970s. An Algerian-backed independence movement -- which holds a fifth of the territory -- has campaigned for a vote on...
Egypt: How both the military and IS terrorize the people of Sinai
Residents of Egypt's restive North Sinai region ran for their lives when an Islamic State group affiliate occupied their villages. Now, they are returning to find their homes booby-trapped. "I lost my sister-in-law and her nine-month-old baby when an explosive device...
Egypt: Bloodbath in Sinai, army claims it killed 40 “takfiris”
The Egyptian army said Tuesday it had killed 40 suspected jihadist militants since September in air and ground operations in the Sinai region, site of an Islamist insurgency. In a video statement posted on Facebook, the army said its air force had "managed to...
Libya: Forces of warlord Haftar seize Turkish commercial ship, hold 17 crewmen
Turkey on Tuesday denounced the seizure of a commercial ship by the forces of Libyan strongman Khalifa Haftar, warning of "serious consequences" if its 17 crewmen are not freed. Haftar's Libyan National Army (LNA) had announced late Monday that it intercepted on...
Algeria alleges and decries ransom payment to ‘terrorists’ by foreign government
Algeria's prime minister has sounded the alarm over reported ransoms paid to "terrorist groups" for the freeing of hostages, weeks after the liberation of a French aid worker in Mali. "Algeria notes, with great concern, continued transfers to terrorist groups of huge...
INSURGENCIES & TERRORISM
Libya: US hits al-Qaeda position near Ubari
Feb 14, 2019 - The US carried out an air strike against Islamist group Al-Qaeda in southern Libya on Wednesday night, Tripoli's UN-backed Government of National Accord said. The strike near the town of Ubari, some 900 kilometres (550 miles) south of the capital, was...
Niger: Suspected Jihadis strike in southwest Niger, kill three
Feb 13, 2019 - Two policemen and a civilian were killed on Wednesday in a village in remote southwestern Niger, a region that until now has been spared jihadist attacks, local officials said. Five armed men, arriving on three motorcycles, attacked a market in the...
Morocco: Police arrest three foreign nationals suspected to have links to Islamic State
Rabat, Feb 12, 2019 - Moroccan authorities said Tuesday they had arrested three French nationals suspected of links to the Islamic State jihadist group for alleged involvement in "financing terrorism". The suspects, one of whom is of Algerian origin, were arrested...
Libya: New offensive of self-proclaimed Marshal Haftar further destabilizes southern regions
Libya, Feb 7, 2019 - A military push in southern Libya which strongman Khalifa Haftar says is aimed at rooting out "terrorists" and foreign fighters has sparked backlash from an ethnic minority and the UN-backed government. The offensive risks fuelling tensions in a...
Sahel: French fighter jets hit rebels entering Chad from Libya
Paris, Feb 6, 2019 (AFP) - French warplanes have carried out fresh attacks against an armed convoy which crossed into Chad from Libya, after initial strikes over the weekend failed to halt its advance, the French army said Wednesday. Acting in conjunction with Chad's...
Burkina Faso: Jihadi attack on Yatenga, near Mali, leaves 14 people dead
Ouagadougou, Feb 4, 2019 - Fourteen civilians were killed in a jihadist attack in northern Burkina Faso near the Mali border, the military said on Monday. The army conducted raids in three northern provinces in response and said it had "neutralised" 146 militants,...
Niger: US military to help Niger confront Boko Haram incursions and attacks
Niamey, Feb 4, 2019 - The United States turned over a communications and operations centre to the Niger army on Monday to help the African nation battle Boko Haram, a statement said. The planning and operations control centre, worth $16.5 million (14.4 million euros),...
Sahel: Burkina Faso braces for more attacks on mines, asks industry to up security posture
Ouagadougou, Feb 1, 2019 - Authorities in Burkina Faso told mining companies on Friday to toughen up "anti-jihadist" security measures in the wake of the kidnapping and killing of a Canadian geologist last month. The body of Kirk Woodman was discovered with gunshot...
Libya-based Chadian rebels cross border to Chad, get bombed by French Air Force
Paris, Feb 4, 2019 - French warplanes on Sunday struck twice to halt an armed group that crossed into northern Chad from Libya in a column of 40 pickup trucks, the French military said, adding it acted at Chad's request. A rebel group opposed to President Idriss Deby...
Niger: Boko Haram attacks Boso, kills four
Niamey, Jan 29, 2019 - Boko Haram militants have shot dead at least four people in a town in Niger near the border with Nigeria, a local official said Tuesday. Three other people were wounded in the attack on Monday night in Bosso, a town near the Lake Chad basin...