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 […]
Islamist insurgency: West Africa becomes global terrorism hotspot as Western forces leave

DAVID LEWIS, JESSICA DONATI and KAYLEE KANG, of Reuters, report…
Mali drone strikes kill at least 21 in northern town, rebels say
Bamako, Mali Reuters At least 21 people, including 11 children, were killed by drone strikes on Sunday on the town of Tinzaouaten in north Mali, near where the army suffered a heavy blow last month, Tuareg rebels said. Mali had already carried out airstrikes on insurgent targets in and around Tinzaouaten shortly after Tuareg and […]
Essay: Sudan’s civil war stretches into a second year with no end in sight

In an article first published on the Conversation, JAN POSPISIL, an associate professor at the Centre for Trust, Peace and Social Relations at Coventry University in the UK, looks at the two-year-old conflict in Sudan and the challenges facing a peaceful resolution…
Essay: West African trade bloc, ECOWAS, shaken as three member states withdraw and form their own alliance

OLUMBA E EZENWA and OLAYINKA AJALA, in an article first published on The Conversation, take a look at what’s happening in West Africa…
Open Doors 2024 Watch List highlights persecution of sub-Saharan African Christians

United States RNS In its annual list detailing countries of concern when it comes to persecution against Christians, the watchdog organization Open Doors International highlighted outbreaks of violence against sub-Saharan African Christians, where 16.2 million were forced out of their homes at the end of 2022. The report, published at the beginning of every year, […]
Putin delivers mixed tribute to Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin after deadly plane crash

Moscow, Russia Reuters Russian President Vladimir Putin sent his condolences to the family of Yevgeny Prigozhin on Thursday, breaking his silence after the mercenary leader’s plane crashed with no survivors two months after he led a mutiny against army chiefs. Putin’s comments, which suggested he harboured decidedly mixed feelings about Wagner’s mercenary boss, were the […]
Organise or fight? Three years in exile, Belarus opposition divided about path

Warsaw, Poland Reuters Pavel Maryeuski, 33, was an activist committed to peaceful politics who had never held a weapon, when he fled his native Belarus after President Alexander Lukashenko’s crackdown on protests following an election three years ago. Last year, when Russia invaded Ukraine, he felt the call to battle, and joined a Belarus volunteer unit fighting in support […]
Mali’s troops, foreign partners target women to ‘spread terror’ – UN report

United NationsReuters Mali’s troops and its foreign security partners, believed to be Russia’s Wagner mercenaries, are using violence against women and other “grave human rights abuses” to spread terror, UN sanctions monitors said in a report seen by Reuters on Monday. The monitors also warned in their report to the UN Security Council that the […]
West African leaders plan possible Niger intervention as deadline looms

Abuja, Nigeria/Niamey, Niger Reuters West African defence chiefs have drawn up a plan for military action if Niger’s coup is not overturned by Sunday, the regional bloc said on Friday, after mediation failed in a crisis that threatens regional security and has drawn in global powers. The Economic Community of West African States has given […]