First Independent Mena Newspaper
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 […]
The US Agency for International Development aid (USAID) and the African Development Bank (AFDB) signed a $600 million deal to promote social and economic development projects in the Sahel. The co-financing agreement will be used to support good governance, resilient agriculture, private sector development, water security, sanitation, and health systems. The agreement “reflects a joint […]
Sahel Nations demand UN action on alleged Ukrainian interference In a bold diplomatic move, three West African nations have called upon the United Nations Security Council to address what they claim is Ukraine’s support for terrorism in the Sahel region. Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger have united in their demand for international intervention to prevent […]
Germany’s top diplomat has talked up the prospect of closer political ties with Senegal and the Ivory Coast, two of the last democracies in a region otherwise plagued by sectarian conflict, in the latest attempt by a senior EU politician to rebuild the bloc’s political influence in West Africa. Germany’s Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock is […]
The “pervasive threats” of terrorism and organized crime are spilling over from the conflict-stricken Sahel to more stable coastal areas in West Africa, a UN envoy said. Terrorist groups sprouting from the Algerian civil war legacy found safe haven in the vast desert swathes of the Sahel where they acted in connivance with trafficking groups […]
With the United States in the process of withdrawing its 1,000 troops from Niger and also about 75 from neighboring Chad, Western military officials and experts are concerned that violent extremist groups are growing in size and influence across Africa, posing a threat to the US and Western allies. A recent UN Security Council “Arria-formula” […]
For every step forward Morocco makes to foster ties with the Sahel, Algeria makes a step backwards, says an analysis published by the Washington-based Wilson Center. Morocco has, even before returning to the African Union, built a strong win-win basis for its ties with Sahel countries through a multipronged strategy that combines soft-power with investments […]
The United States military commander is making a rare trip to Africa for talks on maintaining some of his troops’ presence in West Africa, after US troops were forced to withdraw from Niger and Chad and the Sahel countries’ shift to Russia for security. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General CQ Brown arrived […]