First Independent Mena Newspaper
Ukraine is reportedly deepening its presence in Africa, offering military training, humanitarian aid, and diplomatic support to counter Russia’s growing influence, particularly in the Sahel region. As Moscow-backed mercenaries spread across conflict zones like Mali, Ukraine has launched a strategic push to win allies on the continent and undermine Kremlin-backed operations. Kyiv’s latest initiative includes […]
The Trump administration is considering a dramatic expansion of its travel ban, potentially targeting 36 additional countries — 25 of them in Africa — with full or partial visa restrictions, according to a leaked State Department cable. Signed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the memo cites a 60-day deadline for affected nations to meet […]
The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations has issued on June 10 a stark warning that desert locust swarms are expected to intensify across Libya and North Africa throughout June and July, posing a growing threat to food security in the region. The swarms, which are already forming in parts of Libya, […]
Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), an al-Qaeda affiliate, has emerged as the most powerful militant force in West Africa, now commanding up to 6,000 fighters and staging coordinated, high-impact attacks across the Sahel, experts warn. According new analysis titled ‘JNIM Expanding Geographic Reach and Staging Coordinated Attacks in the Sahel’, JNIM’s recent assaults in Timbuktu […]
Several hardline members of the Algeria-backed separatist group have joined jihadist groups operating in the Sahel region, according to a Spanish intelligence report cited by La Vanguardia newspaper. Radicalized polisario operatives are now holding senior positions within terror networks active in the Sahel, including al-Qaeda and ISIS branch in West Africa, said the alarming report, […]
As Mali’s transitional President Gen. Assimi Goita has reaffirmed lately his determination to continue the fight against terrorism, calls are mounting against the Algerian regime’s subversive activities seeking to undermine the stability and security of the Sahel region. According to some foreign intelligence reports, the Tuareg factions close to radical Imam Mahmoud Dicko, supported by […]
Dialogue and cooperation with Morocco remain “a top strategic priority” for the European Union, said the EU Special Representative for the Sahel region João Cravinho, who pointed out that the Kingdom’s relationship with neighboring Sahel countries is, for the EU, a vital source of insight. The EU official made the remarks in a statement to […]
Militant Islamist violence continues to escalate in the Sahel, shifting southward and westward to increasingly threaten security of coastal West African nations, according to a new report by Africa Center for Strategic Studies (ACSS). Countries like Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger remain at the epicenter of this violent surge, with fatalities and militant activity hitting […]
The foreign ministers of Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger are set to visit Moscow this week to deepen their strategic partnership with Russia, marking a significant shift in the region’s diplomatic and security landscape. The visit, scheduled for 3-4 April, represents the first-ever AES-Russia consultations following the establishment of the Confederation of Sahel States (AES) […]
Abdourahamane Tchiani, the leader of Niger’s military junta, has been officially sworn in as the Sahel country’s transitional president, marking the beginning of a five-year rule under a new charter that replaces the constitution. The ceremony took place in Niamey on Wednesday (26 March), and Tchiani, who led the July 2023 coup that ousted democratically […]