Number of migrants reaching Spain’s Canary Islands breaks all-time record
Madrid, Spain Reuters The number of migrants reaching Spain’s Canary Islands on precarious vessels from West Africa has hit an all-time annual record with 41,425 arrivals between 1st January and 30th November of this year, Interior Ministry data showed on Monday. The seven islands off north-western Africa’s Atlantic coast are struggling to absorb the surge […]
Essay: Military rule is on the rise in Africa – nothing good came from it in the past
Military historian SAMUEL FURY CHILDS DALY, in an article first published on The Conversation, looks at the troubling trend for military rule among a growing number of African nations…
At least seven Russian mercenaries killed in Mali attack
Bamako, Mali Reuters At least seven mercenaries from Russia’s Wagner private military contractor group were killed in an attack in central Mali that was claimed by an affiliate of al-Qaeda in North Africa, Site Intelligence group said Friday. Wagner previously suffered heavy losses in a July battle with predominantly Tuareg rebels and Islamists near Mali’s […]
Irregular migration: In Spain’s Canaries, rescuers exhausted as new routes open
JOAN FAUS and HORACI GARCIA, of Reuters, report on the continuing crisis as Spain’s Canary Islands face an influx of migrants…
In Ghana, Sahel jihadis find refuge and supplies, sources say
Nairobi, Kenya/Accra, Jordan Reuters Islamist militants fighting in Burkina Faso are discreetly using Ghana’s north as a logistical and medical rear base to sustain their insurgency, seven sources told Reuters, a move that could help them expand their footprint in West Africa. The sources, who include Ghanaian security officials and regional diplomats, said Ghanaian authorities […]
Monsoon havoc exposes West and Central Africa’s rising flood risks
N’Djamena, Chad Reuters Father-of-seven Dah Toubada Kadapia stood on a stack of homemade sandbags in his backyard in Chad’s capital N’Djamena, surrounded by floodwaters that locals say have risen higher than past years, causing more damage than ever. Over the last few months, heavy rains have flooded every one of Chad’s 23 provinces, burst a […]
Islamist insurgency: West Africa becomes global terrorism hotspot as Western forces leave
DAVID LEWIS, JESSICA DONATI and KAYLEE KANG, of Reuters, report…
Hopes fade of finding dozens of migrants missing after boat sinks off Canary Islands
El Hierro, Spain Reuters Hopes of finding any of the 48 migrants missing since their boat sank near the Spanish island of El Hierro are diminishing, authorities said on Sunday, in what threatens to be the deadliest such incident in 30 years of crossings from Africa to the Canary Islands. Nine people, one of them […]
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. […]
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 […]