Junta-led Sahel states to form joint force to fight insurgents
Niamey, Niger Reuters Junta-led Niger, Burkina Faso, and Mali have agreed to set up a joint force to tackle security threats across their territories, Niger’s armed forces chief Moussa Salaou Barmou said on Wednesday after a meeting with his counterparts. Flags of Burkina Faso, Niger and Mali are seen during a demonstration that was called […]
Essay: West African trade bloc, ECOWAS, shaken as three member states withdraw and form their own alliance
OLUMBA E EZENWA and OLAYINKA AJALA, in an article first published on The Conversation, take a look at what’s happening in West Africa…
West African bloc lifts sanctions on junta-led Niger
Abuja, Nigeria Reuters The West African regional bloc said on the weekend it would lift strict sanctions on Niger as it seeks a new strategy to dissuade three junta-led states from withdrawing from the political and economic union – a move that threatens regional integration. Leaders of the Economic Community of West African States met […]
Junta-led Sahel states confirm plan to form tri-state confederation – ministry
Reuters Junta-led Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger plan to proceed with the establishment of a confederation, the Malian foreign ministry said on Thursday, as the three countries deepen ties via an alliance that threatens broader West African integration. The neighbours in the impoverished Sahel region announced in January they would quit the Economic Community of […]
About 30 killed in Mali in weekend village attacks
Bamako, Mali Reuters About 30 people were killed in attacks on two villages in central Mali over the weekend, the rural commune’s mayor said on Monday. He did not say who was responsible. The West African country is home to militant groups linked to al Qaeda and Islamic State that wage frequent attacks on the […]
Three West African junta-led states quit ECOWAS regional block
Niamey, Niger/Bamako, Mali Reuters Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso, three West African states led by the military, said on Sunday they are immediately leaving the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), a regional economic bloc that has been urging them to return to democratic rule. The decision by the three, announced in a simultaneous […]
Mali junta eyes new peace talks after ending accord with separatists
Bamako, Mali Reuters Mali’s junta on Friday issued a decree to establish a committee to organise national peace and reconciliation talks, a day after it ended a 2015 peace deal with Tuareg separatist rebels and accused mediator Algeria of interfering in its affairs. The decision to end the so-called Algiers accord threatens to further destabilise […]
Open Doors 2024 Watch List highlights persecution of sub-Saharan African Christians
United States RNS In its annual list detailing countries of concern when it comes to persecution against Christians, the watchdog organization Open Doors International highlighted outbreaks of violence against sub-Saharan African Christians, where 16.2 million were forced out of their homes at the end of 2022. The report, published at the beginning of every year, […]
Essay: Scramble for the Sahel – why France, Russia, China and the United States are interested in the region
In an article first published on The Conversation, OLAYINKA AJALA, a senior lecturer in politics and international relations at Leeds Beckett University in the UK, looks at why the “scramble” for the Sahel region in Africa is likely to remain intense in the coming year…
Dozens killed in double attack on Mali army camp and village
Bamako, MaliReuters Around two dozen soldiers and at least five civilians were killed when militants attacked a military camp and a village in central Mali on Tuesday, a local official said. The attack took place in a rural commune of Mali’s south-central Segou Region on Tuesday afternoon. Armed assailants stormed the village of Farabougou and […]