All articles tagged with #sahel
Russia’s Africa Corps, now under Moscow’s defense ministry, has shifted toward protecting allied Sahel governments in Niger (and likely Mali and Burkina Faso), aiding loyalist forces after mutinies and strengthening Moscow’s political clout in the region. Analysts say these interventions bolster regime survival but do not solve the jihadist insurgency, and Ukraine’s war limits Russia’s ability to expand further in Africa.
Russia is expanding its influence in Africa by aiding Niger’s mutiny crackdown and signaling ongoing support through Wagner and the Africa Corps, a low-cost arrangement analysts say helps keep juntas in power even as the Sahel’s security situation worsens and raises concerns about sovereignty and human rights.
Russia announced that its African Corps helped Niger’s security forces repel a weekend coup in Niamey, including attacks on the airbase and presidential palace; Nigerien authorities later said the rebellion was contained and the government under Gen Abdourahmane Tiani remains in control. Moscow pledged ongoing support against extremists, highlighting Russia’s growing security role in the Sahel where Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso have deepened ties, even as jihadist violence persists.
Islamic militants linked to JNIM and the Azawad Liberation Front jointly ambushed a Malian army convoy in the Gao region, killing or capturing scores of soldiers; Mali’s army says it later conducted precision strikes against enemy positions. The convoy reportedly included Malian troops and Russia’s Africa Corps, and militants released videos of the assault, though independent verification was not possible. The attack highlights the ongoing violence and instability in the Sahel and Mali's security crisis.
President Trump says U.S. and Nigerian forces killed Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, ISIS’s second-in-command globally, in a meticulously planned operation in Nigeria. Al-Minuki, a Nigerian national who led ISIS activity in Africa’s Sahel and was sanctioned in 2023, represented a high-profile target as ISIS remains active in parts of Africa despite territorial losses. Trump had previously ordered strikes on ISIS targets in Nigeria last Christmas, amid ongoing Islamist violence in the country which Nigeria’s government says it does not persecute on religious grounds.
Tuareg rebels reclaimed Kidal from Russia-backed forces, delivering a major reputational blow to Putin in the Sahel as Moscow’s Africa Corps withdraws amid jeers from the very rebels it was sent to crush. Analysts say Russia’s security support is transactional and cannot address the region’s deeper drivers of militancy, prompting Mali to diversify partnerships while still relying on Moscow for frontline security.
Gen. Assimi Goïta has been appointed Mali’s defence minister after the previous holder, Sadio Camara, was killed in a suicide truck bombing, a move aimed at consolidating power amid a mounting jihadist-separatist offensive and a broad security crisis in the Sahel.
Mali’s military government says the security situation is under control after a weekend of large-scale attacks against Malian bases and Bamako, with Russia’s Africa Corps providing air support before withdrawing from Kidal; analysts question Moscow’s influence as Malian forces fight Tuareg and al-Qaeda-linked fighters, and the death of Defence Minister Sadio Camara highlights the fragility of the Russia-backed security partnership in the Sahel.
Mali’s defence minister Sadio Camara was killed when a suicide car bomb struck his Kati residence as Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) and allied groups launched a wave of coordinated attacks across the country, including near Bamako airport and in Mopti, Sevare and Gao; the government declared two days of mourning, the UN condemned the violence, and analysts called it one of the largest such assaults in years, with the fate of Kidal uncertain amid military repositioning and debates over Russia’s role.
Mali faced a coordinated, multi-site assault by unidentified armed groups including JNIM and Tuareg rebels, hitting Bamako, Kati, Sevaré and northern towns; the military said it repelled the attack and killed hundreds, with unconfirmed reports that Defence Minister Sadio Camara was killed. JNIM claimed responsibility for attacks around Bamako and in the north, and Russian mercenaries were reportedly involved. The episode underscores a deepening security crisis under military rule and highlights tense regional dynamics in the Sahel.
An in-depth look at Africa's Great Green Wall shows a multi-country, multi-billion-dollar effort intended to halt desertification, but years of funding and planning have yielded minimal ecological benefits: by 2020 only about 4% of land was restored and by 2023 just 13% of pledged funds had been disbursed, with problems like poor planning, weak local participation, and fragmented financing limiting impact, though a few oases and farms offer temporary gains and some donors remain cautiously hopeful.
Russia confirms its African Corps helped Nigerien forces repel an IS-linked attack on Niamey’s main airport, with 20 attackers killed and four Nigerien soldiers wounded; Niger’s junta welcomed Moscow’s involvement and the leader later visited a Russian base.
Niger is now on the U.S. Level 4 travel advisory, raising Africa’s Level 4 countries to eight due to terrorism, kidnapping, violence, civil unrest, and weak emergency/healthcare capacity. Outside Niamey, foreigners require military escorts; U.S. staff must travel in armored vehicles and follow strict curfews, with a state of emergency in effect. A recent airport attack highlights elevated risks. Other Level 4 African states include Libya, Mali, Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, South Sudan, Sudan, Somalia, and parts of the Sahel, signaling broader insecurity affecting travel, investment and diplomacy across the region.
Gunfire and explosions were heard near Niamey’s international airport in Niger’s capital early Thursday; casualties and the cause are unclear. The airport houses an air force base and is close to the presidential palace, amid Niger’s ongoing jihadist violence and regional security efforts led by the junta with allies in the Sahel.
Leaders of Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger have announced the formation of a joint military battalion to escalate their fight against extremist groups in the Sahel, signaling a shift towards active military operations and a strategic move to deter external intervention amid regional tensions and their recent withdrawal from ECOWAS.