North Africa’s Security
Security | Defense | Terrorism
Sahel: Russia Replaces Wagner in Mali Under Pressure from Algeria, Touaregs Brace
With Wagner stepping aside, the Africa Corps is moving in, bringing structure and legitimacy to Moscow’s support for Bamako. Touareg leaders, fearing a more efficient and state-backed force, have begun testing quiet understandings with jihadist factions like GSIM. It’s not a formal alliance, but a sign of growing desperation in a region where alliances shift quickly and survival often overrides ideology.
SECURITY & DEFENSE
Libya: Armed militias clash in populated neighborhood of east Tripoli
The United Nations has condemned clashes between two armed groups in a residential suburb of the Libyan capital and the use of heavy weapons. UNSMIL, the world body's support mission in Libya, in a statement late Friday expressed "great concern" over the fighting in...
Sahel: Boko Haram ambushes Chad soldiers, kills ten
Ten Chadian soldiers were killed while attacking a base of the Boko Haram Islamist group in the Lake Chad region, the province's secretary-general told AFP on Saturday. Seven soldiers were also injured in Thursday's ambush, Sadick Khatir said, confirming information...
Libya: EU targeting three companies for breach of arms embargo
The European Union on Monday imposed sanctions on three companies -- one Turkish, one Kazakh and one Jordanian -- for breaching the UN arms embargo on Libya, diplomatic sources told AFP. Foreign ministers from the bloc signed off on the measures, which freeze any EU...
Morocco raises concern about Islamic State activity
Editor's Note Morocco's concern over a resurgence of Daesh activities came days after a gendarmerie officer was killed in Sousse, Tunisia, in a knife attack that Daesh claimed. With the crisis in Libya attracting so many fighters, neighboring countries are concerned...
Mali: Ambush claims lives of 10 soldiers in Koulioro
At least 10 Malian soldiers were killed in an overnight ambush in a central region near the Mauritanian border where armed jihadist groups are rampant, security and local sources said Friday. It is the third time Malian security forces have suffered heavy losses since...
Libya: Weapons continue to pour into Libya, despite arms embargo
United Nations, United States, Sept 3, 2020 - The interim UN envoy for Libya, Stephanie Williams, on Wednesday denounced what she called "blatant" ongoing violations of the arms embargo in effect on the war-wracked country. Since UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres...
Mali: Reshuffle in Mali’s defense and security establishment
Bamako, Sept 2, 2020 - Mali's junta has named a new army chief of staff and appointed people to other key army and security posts, weeks after seizing power, according to decrees published Wednesday. General Oumar Diarra is named chief of the general staff of the...
Egypt: Violent military operation in North Sinai with army saying it killed 73 insurgents
Cairo, Aug 30, 2020 - Egypt's army announced Sunday that more than 70 alleged jihadists have been killed in recent military operations in North Sinai, the location of an insurrection affiliated to the Islamic State group. A statement by the Egyptian army said that the...
Turkey launches military maneuvers as tensions remain high in East Med
Istanbul, Aug 29, 2020 - Turkey on Saturday launched new military drills in the eastern Mediterranean and Greece accused Turkish jets of an incursion as tensions mount in a maritime standoff between the NATO members. The confrontation has reignited a longstanding...
Mali: Four soldiers killed near Mopti
Bamako, Aug 27, 2020 - Four troops were killed and 12 were wounded on Thursday in an ambush in central Mali, the army said, blaming the attack on jihadists who launched an insurgency eight years ago. The troops, from an anti-poaching unit, fell into a trap set by...
INSURGENCIES & TERRORISM
Egypt: Militants challenge state of emergency, kill 23 soldiers in third attack this week
The North Africa Journal- July 7, 2017: At least 40 insurgents and 23 Egyptian soldiers were killed in a suicide bomb attack and subsequent battle in North Sinai on July 7, 2017. The suicide bomb attack targeted the military, after the bomber rammed his vehicle into...
Mali: At least 30 dead in clashes between Tuareg groups in Kidal
The North Africa Journal- June 13, 2017: Threat tracking and assessment company MEA Risk says at least 30 Tuareg fighters were killed last week after a very violent skirmish between the Coordination of Azawad Movements (CMA) and the pro-Bamako Gatia platform in Kidal....
Libya: Shifting sands in the militia and insurgency movements
The North Africa Journal - June 12, 2017: Tracking and understanding the various militias and insurgent groups involved in the Libya conflict is no trivial exercise. This is because the situation shifts quickly in reaction to the many events that force continuous...
Libya: Rival militias skirmish in several Tripoli neighborhoods
Armed clashes between rival militias were reported throughout the Tripoli neighborhoods of bu Salim, Hai Damscus, Al-Hadba, Salah Eddine, Hai Akhwakh, Hai Nasir and Bab Ben Ghashir on 26 May. Security sources revealed that a shell fell on the HQ of the Libyan branch...
Morocco: Three IS suspects captured
The Central Bureau of Judicial Investigation (BCIJ) has dismantled an Islamic State-tied terror cell active in Nador, Driouch and Martil on 26 May. Three suspects were captured on charges of manufacturing homemade bombs and contacting IS operatives in the Middle-East.
Fresh violence in Egypt, 28 civilians and four security personnel killed in two days
The North Africa Journal- May 26, 2017: Using automatic weapons, attackers opened fire on two buses traveling to the Saint Samuel Monastery in Minya, killing 28 Christian worshipers and wounding dozens. The attackers fled the scene. The buses were targeted by masked...
Explosive social unrest across the Maghreb region
The North Africa Journal - May 24, 2017 - The Maghreb countries of North Africa are facing an unprecedented level of social and labor unrest. The Ramadan season, slated to start at the end of this month, will likely be quiet on the social front. But what we see in...
Egypt: From military-insurgents confrontation, Sinai conflict shifts to civil war
The North Africa Journal - May 17, 2017: The crisis in the Sinai Peninsula is now spreading both geographically and in terms of its scope. Analysts at MEA Risk LLC say that while the conflict has been concentrating on the northeast corner of the region, specifically...
Nine Moroccan terror suspects caught in Italy and Spain
The North Africa Journal: April 26, 2017: The Italian Special Operations Group (ROS) arrested a Moroccan national described as “extremely dangerous” who was plotting to carry out terrorist attacks in the country on 24 April. The 29-year old Moroccan was arrested...
Tunisia refuses to repatriate women linked to IS in Libya
A delegation of Tunisian officials in Libya has refused to repatriate a group of fourteen women sentenced to prison in Libya for being part of the Islamic State. After meeting with the UN-backed government, the delegation flatly refused to bring the women and their...