First Independent Mena Newspaper
Human Rights Watch (HRW) is calling for an investigation into a brutal massacre in Burkina Faso, where dozens of civilians were reportedly killed by government-aligned militias. The attack occurred in the western city of Solenzo, with video footage circulating on social media showing bodies of ethnic Fulani civilians, including women, children and elderly, bound and […]
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has launched a 5,000-member counterterrorism force in response to the escalating security crisis in the Sahel and wider West Africa. Announced during the 43rd meeting of the ECOWAS Committee of Chiefs of Defence Staff in Abuja, this force is designed to confront the growing influence of jihadist […]
Africa’s Sahel region has become the global epicenter of terrorism, with extremist groups now responsible for over half of all terror-related deaths worldwide in 2024, according to the latest Global Terrorism Index (GTI). This marks a significant shift from previous years, as the region’s death toll rose to 3,885, accounting for 51% of the global […]
Canada has launched its inaugural Africa Strategy, a comprehensive policy aimed at enhancing economic cooperation, security, and shared prosperity between Canada and African nations. Developed through extensive consultations over two years, the strategy, launched on 6 March, seeks to strengthen trade, promote peace, and foster sustainable development, particularly through youth empowerment and infrastructure development. The […]
The landlocked Sahel region remains on top of the list of regions most hit by the scourge of terrorism, according to the Global Terrorism Index (GTI) which calls it the “epicenter of global terrorism.” Years of infighting, porous borders and connivance between terror groups and states like Algeria made the Sahel a fertile ground for […]
The Algerian regime relationship with terrorist groups operating in the Sahel is raising concern of the international community over peace and stability in the region. According to intelligence reports, Algerian security services facilitate and turn a blind eye on the smuggling of weapons used by jihadist groups operating in Mali, Burkina Faso, Libya, and Niger. […]
The European Union has provided a 50 million-euro military aid package to Ghana to bolster its security forces amid a surge in violent extremist activities by armed groups linked to al-Qaeda and the Islamic State. The donation, made during a handover ceremony in Accra on Wednesday (26 February), includes advanced communication systems, riverine assets, and […]
Recent expulsions of French military forces from several African nations, including Ivory Coast, Chad, and Niger, underscore a growing shift in the region’s geopolitical dynamics, fueled by Russian disinformation campaigns, according to analysts. Analysts believe that the Kremlin has been a key driver of the anti-French sentiment, using digital platforms to manipulate public opinion across […]
Mali’s military government has initiated an investigation into the alleged ‘cold execution’ of at least 24 civilians, including women and children, in the volatile northern part of the Sahel country. The accusations were made by the Tuareg separatist group, the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA), which is battling the Malian government in the same region. According […]
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 […]