First Independent Mena Newspaper
Russia has reportedly delivered military equipment, including tanks, armored vehicles, and artillery systems to Mali, which observers suspect may have been moved there from Syria following the departure of Russian troops after the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime. According to reports from Defense Web, Africa’s leading defense news portal, Mali could be another recipient of […]
Four Moroccan drivers and three trucks went missing on the border between Dori in Burkina Faso and Tera in Niger, well-informed sources said. The drivers on board the three trucks left Dori towards Tera unprotected and unescorted despite the risk of terrorist activity in the area, the sources said. On January 11, 18 Burkinabe soldiers […]
The humanitarian crisis in Burkina Faso has reached a critical point as over 2.5 million internally displaced people struggle to find safety and support, particularly in the capital city of Ouagadougou. The military government’s stance on displacement has created a complex web of challenges for those seeking refuge from widespread violence. In the capital, which […]
France on Thursday (26 December) officially handed over its first military base to Chad as part of an ongoing withdrawal of French forces from the central African country, which comes after N’Djamena abruptly ended military cooperation with its former colonial power last month. Chad’s military chief of staff said the military base at Faya-Largeau in […]
“Barbaric” attacks in two locations along Niger’s border with Burkina Faso have killed 39 people, including children, Niamey’s defense ministry has said, blaming “criminals” for massacring defenseless civilian populations. The two latest attacks occurred in the borderlands between Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali that have long been home to armed insurgents linked to the Al-Qaeda […]
By arming civilians who are poorly trained and have little to no respect for human rights, Burkina Faso’s junta-led government has brought the West African nation that once prided itself on tolerance and peaceful interethnic relations to the brink of civil war, says a latest report by The New York Times (NYT). A West Africa […]
Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger are set to withdraw from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). This decision was acknowledged by ECOWAS Heads of State during a Summit held in Abuja on Sunday, December 15. A six-month Transition period will commence on January 29, 2025, after which the exit of the three Sahelian […]
Chadian president Mahamat Idriss Deby has defended his decision to break military ties with France and ask for the withdrawal of French troops, saying that the security agreement with its former colonial master failed to provide substantial military value to the country amid various challenges, including terrorist attacks. Deby has said their defense pact no […]
Chad’s government is terminating a defense cooperation agreement with France, its former colonial ruler, with its top diplomat saying his country has “grown up” and now wants to fully assert its sovereignty. As Sahel nations, from Niger to Mali to Burkina Faso, have ousted French soldiers from their territories and moved closer to Russia, Chad […]
Burkina Faso’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Karamoko Jean Marie Traore, highlighted before the UN General Assembly High-Level Debate in New York his country’s progress in combating terrorism and criticized foreign interference in the Sahel region. Traore reported that Burkina Faso now controls nearly 70% of its territory, up from 40% in 2022, in its fight […]