First Independent Mena Newspaper
Mali has refused to extend the timeline for the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) to withdraw from the country beyond the deadline of December 31st, as previously agree despite confrontations between the Army and rebels and terrorist groups in the north. The UN Security Council adopted a resolution end of June […]
France has begun pulling out its troops from Niger after being ordered out of the West African nation by the military junta that ousted the pro-Paris president in a July coup, the military said Tuesday (10 October). “The first troops have left,” the spokesman of the French chief of staff said, confirming an earlier announcement […]
Malian authorities have nullified authorization given to Air France to resume flights to the West African country after the airline suspended its services in August 2023. The decision came a day after Air France announced plans to resume flights to Mali from Friday October 13. The airline suspended on August 7 its flights to Mali, […]
Russian President Vladimir Putin held Tuesday October 10 a telephone conversation with Mali’s interim President for the transitional period Assimi Goita, with talks focusing on the strengthening of economic ties and security cooperation. “At the initiative of the Malian side, Russian President Vladimir Putin had a telephone conversation with the President of the transitional period […]
The Malian army is deploying towards a northern separatist rebel stronghold in the Kidal region in a high-risk operation which could foreshadow a major confrontation and become a turning point after a decade of conflict. A large convoy of the Malian army left Gao on Monday (2 October) and was reportedly headed to the localities […]
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 […]