Dozens killed in Mali attack by al-Qaeda affiliate
Reuters An elaborate attack by an al-Qaeda affiliate in Mali’s capital this week killed some 70 people, diplomatic and security sources said on Thursday, while the government offered no figures on casualties. Militants attacked an elite police training academy and the airport on Tuesday, demonstrating their ability to strike at the heart of Mali’s capital. […]
Chad’s Mahamat Deby confirmed as winner of disputed election
N’Djamena, Mali Reuters Chad’s constitutional council confirmed Mahamat Idriss Deby as winner of the 6th May presidential election on Thursday after dismissing challenges by two losing candidates – cementing a victory that extended his family’s decades-long rule. Deby, who seized power the day rebels killed his father, President Idriss Deby, in 2021 and declared himself […]
Hundreds rally in Niger’s capital to push for US military departure
Niamey, Niger Reuters Hundreds took to the streets of Niger’s capital on Saturday to demand the departure of US troops, after the ruling junta further shifted its strategy by ending a military accord with the United States and welcoming Russian military instructors. Marching arm in arm through central Niamey, the crowd waved Nigerien flags in […]
Burkina Faso junta’s conscription of critics rattles civil society and unions
Reuters Burkina Faso’s military junta is abusing an emergency law to conscript perceived dissidents and critics to join a deadly fight against militants linked to al-Qaeda and Islamic State, warned lawyers, journalists and watchdog Human Rights Watch this week. In a series of statements, civil society groups and unions for journalists and lawyers accused the […]
Militants kill more than 60 in Mali on boat and at army camp
Bamako, Mali Reuters Islamist militants killed at least 49 civilians and 15 soldiers in attacks on a military camp and a boat in north-eastern Mali on Thursday, the interim government said. The assailants attacked the boat on a waterway that connects the northern regions of Gao and Mopti during the rainy season, and raided the […]
Explainer – How the military coup in Niger threatens stability in West Africa
Reuters Niger’s regional and international partners are scrambling to respond to a military coup which political analysts say could have grave consequences for democratic progress and the fight against an insurgency by jihadist militants in West Africa. Here is what is at stake. “Only hope” for stability on Sahel Niger became a democratic outlier in […]
Withdrawal request: Mali faces spectre of anarchy after demanding UN’s departure
EDWARD MCALLISTER and DAVID LEWIS, of Reuters, report the MINUSMA mission and what it’s end could mean…
Around 60 civilians killed in northern Burkina Faso attack – prosecutor
Ouagadougou, Burkina FasoReuters Around 60 civilians were killed on Friday in northern Burkina Faso by people wearing the uniforms of the Burkinabe armed forces, local prosecutor Lamine Kabore said on Sunday, citing information from police in the town of Ouahigouya. He said an investigation had been launched after the attack on the village of Karma […]
Forty dead in attack on army and volunteers in north Burkina Faso
Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso Reuters Unidentified assailants killed 40 people and wounded 33 others in an attack on the army and volunteer defence forces in northern Burkina Faso, the government said in a statement on Sunday. The attack took place on Saturday in the village of Aorema near the town of Ouahigouya in the North Region, […]
UN seeks $US1.3 billion for Nigerians affected by insurgency
Lagos, Nigeria Reuters The United Nations on Thursday appealed for $US1.3 billion to provide assistance to six million Nigerians who are suffering the impact of a long-running Islamist insurgency in the north-east of the country. The militant Boko Haram group and its offshoot, Islamic State West Africa Province, have been fighting Nigerian security forces in […]