North Africa’s Security
Security | Defense | Terrorism
Franco-Algerian relations set to worsen over planned military maneuvers in Morocco
Algeria summoned the French Ambassador to protest the planned “Chergui 2025” Franco-Moroccan military exercises scheduled for September near the Algerian border. Tensions between the nations have escalated following France’s support for Morocco’s position on Western Sahara.
SECURITY & DEFENSE
Sahel: UK deploys hundreds of troops to war-torn Mali
Britain is deploying 300 troops to the UN peacekeeping mission in Mali to help strengthen security and human rights there, its defence ministry said Thursday. The British troops will provide the UN mission with "a highly specialised reconnaissance capability,...
Morocco says it arrested three men in Tetouan allegedly linked to IS
Moroccan police said Friday they have arrested three men in the northern city of Tetouan suspected of "terrorist plots" and links to the Islamic State group. The three had recorded a "video in which they pledge allegiance to the supposed emir of (IS)... and specify...
Algeria: Four die in military-insurgent clashes in northeast Algeria
An Algerian soldier was killed Wednesday during a clash with armed Islamists in the country's northeast, the defence ministry said in a statement. Lelmaya Sifeddine was killed "during a new clash with a terrorist group" during an ongoing operation in the province of...
Sahel: Several killed in ethnic violence in Chad’s Kabbia region
At least 22 people have been killed in southern Chad in the latest instance of deadly ethnic violence between nomadic herders and sedentary farmers, the communications minister said Friday. A curfew was imposed in the Kabbia region where the fighting took place and...
Libya: Terror group tied to warlord Haftar blacklisted by US
The US Treasury announced sanctions Wednesday on a Libyan rebel militia loyal to eastern strongman Khalifa Haftar which is allegedly behind multiple murders, kidnapping and torture. The Treasury said Mohamed al-Kani and the Kaniyat militia "is responsible for the...
Global terrorism-related deaths down 15% in 2019, but West witnessing rise in far-right terrorism
The number of people killed in terror attacks worldwide fell for the fifth consecutive year in 2019, with conflict still the main driver of terror but an increase of "far-right terrorism" seen in the West, a leading think tank said Wednesday. Deaths from terrorism...
W.Sahara: Polisario says it pounded defensive wall, as Morocco reinforces position at border post
Polisario says it pounded Morocco defensive wall in Western Sahara On 19 November 2020, the pro-independence Polisario Front said it launched "massive attacks" against a Moroccan defensive wall that cuts through the disputed Western Sahara. The territory is at the...
North Africans lost three decades over the Western Sahara
Armed clashes between Morocco and the Polisario Front reflect the movement's frustration with a three-decade status quo that has frozen its dreams of independence in the Western Sahara, analysts say. The group, backed by Morocco's arch-rival Algeria, has long demanded...
Libya: Europe and Turkey at odds about Libya, threaten and intimidate each other
German navy searches Turkish ship headed for Libya Turkey on Monday said the German navy had conducted an "unauthorised" search on a Turkish-flagged vessel in a bid to enforce an arms embargo on Libya but only found humanitarian aid. The European Union's Operation...
Libya: Despite ceasefire deal, militias and foreign meddlers refuse to withdraw their mercenaries
Rival forces in Libya have failed to begin withdrawing as required under an October ceasefire agreement aimed at ending years of conflict following Moamer Kadhafi's 2011 killing, a UN envoy said Thursday. Last month's ceasefire formally ended fighting between forces...
INSURGENCIES & TERRORISM
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...
Mali: Two peacekeepers killed by mine in Mopti
Bamako, Jan 25, 2019 - Two UN peacekeepers from Sri Lanka died and six wounded in central Mali Friday when their vehicle hit a mine, the UN mission in Mali (MINUSMA) announced. "This morning... a vehicle in a MINUSMA logistics convoy hit a mine near Douentza, Mopti...
Algeria: More discoveries of war-grade weapons in southern provinces, two insurgents killed
The North Africa Journal: Threat and security assessment and tracking company MEA Risk LLC said the Algerian authorities continue to tally the weapons they have confiscated from the general public. Although illegal, many of what is confiscated are hunting rifles and...
Libya: AP photographer Mohamed Ben Khalifa killed in Tripoli clash
Tripoli, Jan 19, 2019 (AFP) - A Libyan photographer who worked for Associated Press news agency was killed Saturday south of Libya's capital Tripoli where he was covering militia clashes, a medical source and family said. Mohamed Ben Khalifa was killed by shellfire...