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. […]
Islamist groups escalate retaliatory attacks on Burkina Faso civilians, HRW says
Dakar, Senegal Reuters Jihadist groups in Burkina Faso have escalated attacks on civilians, often in retaliation against communities for refusing to join their ranks or allegedly collaborating with government troops, Human Rights Watch said on Wednesday. The junta-led West African nation has been grappling with Islamist insurgents, some with links to al-Qaeda and Islamic State, […]
Mali says attack repelled in capital; al-Qaeda affiliate claims responsibility
Bamako, Mali Reuters Mali said on Tuesday that its capital Bamako was under control after insurgents attacked a gendarmerie training school and other strategic areas before dawn, firing gunshots that reverberated around the city. Al-Qaeda affiliate Jama’a Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin (JNIM) claimed responsibility for the attack. A general view of the city of Bamako […]
French, US hostages released after years of captivity in West Africa
Niamey, Niger/Washington, DC Reuters French journalist Olivier Dubois was hugged by emotional reporters at a briefing in Niger on Monday announcing the release of him and US aid worker Jeffery Woodke who had been held hostage in West Africa for years by Islamist militants. Dubois was kidnapped in Mali in 2021, while Woodke was kidnapped […]
Explainer – Why has France been at war for a decade in the West African desert?
Dakar, Senegal Reuters France and military allies are leaving Mali after using it for almost a decade as a base for fighting Islamist insurgents who continue to wreak havoc and control swathes of territory around West Africa. Which groups are present? Islamists including al-Qaeda’s North African wing AQIM hijacked a Tuareg rebellion in northern Mali […]