First Independent Mena Newspaper
Moroccan-Malian joint military commission convened its first meeting in Bamako this week to discuss cooperation prospects, especially in terms of training and equipment of the army of the sub-Saharan country. The meeting also focused on cooperation in logistics and sharing experiences in addressing regional security threats. Mali’s Ministry of Defense stated in a press release […]
As the war in Ukraine winds down, African leaders are increasingly alarmed by reports that Russia may be sending ex-convicts disguised as mercenary forces to the continent. These individuals, initially recruited to fight on the Ukrainian front, are now feared to be relocated to Africa, raising concerns over escalating violence and instability. Reports suggest that […]
A senior US counterterrorism official has raised alarms about the increasing threat posed by global jihadist groups, warning that they are, for example, expanding their activities from Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso into Benin and Togo, which had once had little exposure to jihadi threats. Speaking at a recent Washington conference, Sebastian Gorka noted that […]
A devastating collapse at an illegal gold mine near Kéniéba in Mali’s western Kayes region has claimed over 40 lives, predominantly women, highlighting the perilous nature of informal mining operations in one of the world’s major gold-producing nations. The tragedy occurred when prospectors entered abandoned open-pit areas in search of remaining gold deposits. This catastrophe, […]
Barrick Gold’s CEO Mark Bristow has said operations at its shuttered Loulo-Gounkoto mine in Mali will restart once the country’s junta authorities allow it to resume gold shipments. Operations at the site were halted in January 2024 after the Malian government blocked gold shipments and seized approximately $245 million worth of gold. Bristow emphasized that […]
The recent withdrawal of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger from the regional ECOWAS bloc has drawn attention to the escalating security crisis in the Sahel region where JNIM, an umbrella coalition of aligned groups, is fast emerging as a dominant jihadist force. These countries, now members of the newly formed Alliance of Sahel States (AES), […]
The European Union is confronting significant challenges in maintaining its long-standing ties with Africa, as it faces rising competition from China and Russia in the region, according to experts. While the EU has been Africa’s biggest export market for years, it has lost ground to these emerging powers, particularly in trade and security. In recent […]
A brutal ambush by suspected jihadists in northeastern Mali on Friday (7 February) left more than 50 people dead, amid worsening insecurity in a region long plagued by violence from jihadist groups linked to ISIS and al-Qaeda. The attack occurred near the village of Kobe, about 30 kilometers from the city of Gao, when a […]
During his interview with L’Opinion, Algeria’s President Abdelmedjid Tebboune doubled down on interferences in domestic issues of France and Mali. The same president has been using conspiracy theories to distract attention from the worsening economic and social conditions in his country. Warning of foreign interference without offering evidence has become a national sport among the […]
The Government of Niger has unveiled on February 5 plans to launch a new national airline alongside a regional carrier as part of a broader strategy to enhance air connectivity both within the country and across the Sahel region. According to the Nigerien News Agency, Colonel Salisu Mahaman Salisu, the Minister of Transport and Equipment, […]