First Independent Mena Newspaper
The Niger government has declared three days of national mourning after at least 29 soldiers were killed by suspected terrorists near the country’s border with Mali, whose army is also waging battles against Islamist militants on multiple fronts after the UN peacekeeping mission withdraws. The “three borders” area between Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso is […]
Jama’a Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin, a terrorist group affiliated to al Qaeda, claimed Wednesday September 27 responsibility for a car bomb attack against a military base of the Malian army near the ancient city of Timbuktu, a theater of ongoing fighting between the forces and the militants. The attack took place 35km South-West of the […]
Mali’s Government in power since May 2021 following a second coup announced Monday September 25 the delay sine die the scheduled February 2024 presidential elections, citing a number of reasons including issues related to the review of the electoral lists. Government spokesman Col. Abdoulaye Maiga announced the move noting that the elections “will be slightly […]
France’s decision to withdraw its ambassador and military forces from Niger, the West’s last key ally in the central Sahel region, amid a wave anti-French sentiment, are yet another blow to Paris’s influence in its former African colonies, laying bare Europe’s weakening influence in the continent, analysts and diplomats say. President Emmanuel Macron’s announcement on […]
Mauritania has declined demands by Malian Tuareg rebels fighting the Malian army to host wounded fighters for medical treatment, local media alakhbar reports citing an official source. The northern Malian historic city of Timbuktu, near the Mauritania border, has been the focus of fighting between the Malian army and a rebel group called the Coordination […]
The military leaders of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger signed over the weekend a mutual defense pact establishing an Alliance of Sahel States (AES) that will allow them to cooperate against threats of armed rebellion or external aggression. The AES was established by the Liptako-Gourma Charter, in reference to a region, where the Mali, Burkina […]
Tuareg rebels have reportedly seized control of a military camp and posts in northern Mali from army and Wagner mercenaries, threatening to unravel a 2015 peace deal, sparking a polarizing debate in the capital city Bamako over whether the government should consider restarting or increasing dialogue with armed groups. There has been a resurgence of […]
Three days of mourning have been declared in Mali following attacks on an army base and a passenger boat on the Niger River in the northern part of the country on Thursday (7 September) by suspected jihadists, in which at least 64 people were reportedly killed. The two separate attacks targeted the Timbuktu boat on […]
The government of Burkina Faso has green-lighted plans to send military troops to Niger to back the junta in power in case of foreign aggression as possible military intervention of regional bloc Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) looms. A Cabinet statement late Wednesday August 30, Anadolu news agency reports, said the government was […]
As many as 50 African States have sent officials to the third China-Africa Peace and Security Forum taking place in Beijing as part of China’s security cooperation with Africa. An alternative to the US presence in the continent and European influence. Chinese authorities placed the event under the theme: “Implementing the Global Security Initiative [GSI] […]