First Independent Mena Newspaper
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), […]
Foreign mining companies in the Sahel region are currently experiencing a nightmare scenario, as military-led governments in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger are seeking to reclaim control over the mining of gold and other valuable resources. With gold mining accounting for over 90% of Mali’s exports, highlighting its critical economic role, the junta-led government aims […]
Russia has reportedly delivered military equipment, including tanks, armored vehicles, and artillery systems to Mali, which observers suspect may have been moved there from Syria following the departure of Russian troops after the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime. According to reports from Defense Web, Africa’s leading defense news portal, Mali could be another recipient of […]
Mali’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned on Wednesday Algeria of supporting terrorist groups in the Sahel, of fueling instability in the region, and of interfering in its internal affairs. The Foreign Ministry emphasized in a strongly-worded statement that Mali would not allow external powers to meddle in its sovereignty or act as “firefighters” while fueling […]
France on Thursday (26 December) officially handed over its first military base to Chad as part of an ongoing withdrawal of French forces from the central African country, which comes after N’Djamena abruptly ended military cooperation with its former colonial power last month. Chad’s military chief of staff said the military base at Faya-Largeau in […]
Chadian president Mahamat Idriss Deby has defended his decision to break military ties with France and ask for the withdrawal of French troops, saying that the security agreement with its former colonial master failed to provide substantial military value to the country amid various challenges, including terrorist attacks. Deby has said their defense pact no […]
Four executives from the Barrick Gold Corporation have been detained in Mali, the Canadian mining company has confirmed, adding that all these employees of its Loulo-Gounkoto mining complex had been charged and detained pending trial. The arrests come as the Sahel country’s military regime intensifies efforts to impose additional taxes on foreign mining companies by […]
The European Union has recalled its ambassador in Niger for consultations in Brussels after the junta-led authorities had on Friday (22 November) questioned the EU’s management of humanitarian aid provided to those impacted by severe flooding in the Sahel country. The EU recalled its ambassador, Salvador Pinto da Franca, from Niamey after Niger’s junta had […]
Across Africa and particularly the Sahel region, Russia-backed disinformation operations, a key part of the hybrid warfare, seek to “prop up repressive regimes and harm civilians”, reveals a new analysis published in the latest edition of the Africa Defense Forum (ADF) magazine. Russia is linked to 40% of all disinformation campaigns across the African continent, […]
UN Secretary General Antonion Guterres highlighted in his annual report on the Sahara territory the relevance of Morocco’s Atlantic initiative to offer the Sahel access to the Atlantic. Guterres referred to the Royal initiative “for the Atlantic coastline becoming a gateway for trade and economic integration with Africa and the Americas by facilitating access for […]