Oct 17, 2025

Washington Returns to Libya’s Frontlines in Bid to Counter Russia and Reunify Militias$

Analysis by The North Africa Journal

The United States is reengaging in Libya through Flintlock 2026, a major U.S. Africa Command exercise set for next spring near Sirte. The training will bring together Libya’s rival eastern and western forces for the first time since 2011, signaling a renewed American role in efforts to unify the country’s military, counter extremist threats, and curb Russian influence in North Africa.

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Mali: After Kidal, The War Comes to Bamako$

by The North Africa Journal | Apr 29, 2026 | security upfront, Briefs, Shield and Alert: Sahel, Politics, 111, Security & Defense, 1PREMIUM, Mali, Terrorism, 1shorts, Sahel, Terrorism, Security, Politics

Mali’s military government lost Kidal to a joint FLA-JNIM offensive on April 26, 2026, after Russian Africa Corps personnel and Malian troops withdrew under rebel escort. The fall of the city, retaken by Bamako with Russian support in November 2023, exposes the limits of the junta’s sovereignty narrative and raises serious questions about the durability of Mali’s security model.

إيران -هدنة هشة بعد «غضب ملحمي»: وقف نار قصير يكشف وهم الحرب الخاطفة على إيران$

by The North Africa Journal | Apr 9, 2026 | 1PREMIUM, Arabic

هدنة هشة بعد أكثر من ستة أسابيع من الحرب تكشف اتساع الفجوة بين الوعود التي سُوِّقت في واشنطن عن حرب خاطفة على إيران وبين واقع صراع معقد استنزف القدرات العسكرية وعمّق أزمة الطاقة العالمية فيما بقيت مراكز القرار في طهران صامدة.

Mali: Russian-linked Forces Under Drone Pressure in Northern Mali$

by The North Africa Journal | Apr 9, 2026 | 1PREMIUM, Briefs, 1-BLUE-LEFT-SECTION-Special-Focus-Free, Security & Defense, Mali, 1shorts, Sahel, Terrorism, Security, Shield and Alert: Sahel

Armed groups in northern Mali are shifting toward repeatable FPV drone strikes against Malian army and Russian-linked Africa Corps positions. Recent attacks in Anéfis and Aguelhok indicate a tactical evolution that challenges the assumption of operational sanctuary in the Kidal region.

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