US envoy for Sahel peter pham

Algeria: Shale gas protests become political, government unconvincing

Protests that started as a social issue in Algeria are slowly making their way to the political platform as pressure builds up against the government. Demonstrations started late last year in the southern oasis town of Ain Salah where a pilot project is being held but it has now spread to several cities across the […]

Sahel: exploring nexus between arms and human trafficking — UN report

A dizzying array of illegal weaponry dots market stalls across the Sahel, fueling violence and insecurity in this 6,000-km-wide belt in the middle of Africa, where smuggling networks exploit the ensuring desperation of people, leading to such deadly disasters as the recent shipwreck off the coast of Greece, according to the latest series of reports […]

Intervening in Mali – Securing the Sahel?

Last December, the U.N. Security Council passed a cautious resolution that outlined steps to be taken before an international military intervention into Mali to deal with the deteriorating security situation in the country. But in a surprise move on 11 January, French President Francois Hollande authorized airstrikes in Mali to stop a sudden southward push […]