Terror groups are increasingly using new tactics, notably armed suicide or kamikaze drones, according to a government statement released following several attacks on cities in western Mali on 1 July.
The use of commercially available small civilian drones for strikes by terrorist and armed rebel groups is not limited to Mali, and has become prevalent throughout the Central Sahel. Separatist and terror groups in the region likely draw inspiration from the successful use of drones by regular armies in other conflict zones, such as Libya and the Middle East.
Read more…
Source: Institute for Security Studies News
Sign up for the Counter-IED Report Newsletters
The latest news and insights delivered right to your inbox
Related:
- Mali is still unsafe under the military: why it hasn’t made progress against rebels and terrorists
August 6, 2024
The scale of casualties suffered by the Wagner group and Malian forces during a recent assault in the Tinzaouaten region reveal vulnerability in Mali’s counterinsurgency posture. The attack was reported in the media as the biggest loss for Russian paramilitaries in several years of operating in Africa. Although there are conflicting reports, at least 80 Russian ...
- Mali Cuts Diplomatic Relations With Ukraine Over ‘Links To Terrorism’
August 5, 2024
Mali’s interim government has cut diplomatic ties with Ukraine, citing Ukraine’s alleged support for Tuareg rebels and involvement in a recent deadly attack on a military convoy. The convoy, carrying Malian forces and Russian Wagner Group contractors, was ambushed by Tuareg insurgents near the Algerian border in Tinzaouaten last month, resulting in the deaths of Malian ...
- Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso military leaders sign new pact
July 6, 2024
The military leaders of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger have hailed a newly signed treaty as a step “towards greater integration” between the three countries, in the latest showing of their shift away from traditional regional and Western allies. During a summit in the Nigerien capital of Niamey on Saturday, the three leaders signed a confederation ...
- German army to vacate Niger air base in August
July 6, 2024
The German army will end operations at its air base in Niger by August 31 following the breakdown of talks with the Sahel country’s ruling junta, Germany’s defense ministry said Saturday. All Bundeswehr soldiers stationed at the base will be withdrawn by August 31 and German military cooperation with Niger will end, the ministry added. Read more… Source: ...
- Malian Army Kills 42 Suspected Terrorists After Attack Leaves 5 Soldiers Wounded
June 16, 2024
The Malian army claims to have killed 42 suspected terrorists after a “complex car bomb ambush” suffered by the military on the road linking the towns of Menaka and Ansongo in the east of the country, leaving five soldiers wounded. Reportedly, a car bomb was launched on Friday against a military patrol, but was destroyed at ...
- Germany to keep military base in Niger open under temporary deal, Berlin says
May 28, 2024
Germany will keep its military air transport hub in Niger’s capital Niamey open for now, the defence ministry in Berlin said late on Tuesday, shortly after the European Union announced it would end its military mission in the country by June 30. Berlin has some 90 troops based in Niamey at the moment. Until a coup ...
- Escalating Violence In Sahel As JNIM Claims Rising Jihadi Operations
May 18, 2024
As violence continues to escalate in the Sahel region of Africa, Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimeen (JNIM) has been intensifying its campaign of terror, particularly in the Central Sahel, which comprises Mali, Burkina Faso, and the Niger Republic. Newly released data by the group detailing their operations for the Islamic month of Shawwal 1445 H, corresponding ...
- Mali forces kill senior figure in Islamic State affiliate
April 30, 2024
Malian forces killed Abu Huzeifa, a leader of Islamic State in West Africa, during a big operation in the north of Menaka. The authorities announced this on state TV on Monday. They confirmed Huzeifa’s death on Sunday after the operation in the Indelimane area but didn’t give more details. Read more… Source: MSN News Sign up for our Newsletter Related:
- Syria remains country hardest hit by landmines due to casualties, says UN official
April 26, 2024
Landmines, explosive remnants of war, and improvised explosive devices continue to cause death and injury, especially around armed conflicts, with one person on average killed every hour, with Syria hit hardest, a UN official said Friday. Christelle Loupforest, who heads the UN Mine Action Service in Geneva (UNMAS), said that communities are suffering tremendously from the ...
- UNOCT supports the Sahel countries in countering terrorist use of IEDs, UAS and SALW
April 10, 2024
The United Nations Counter-Terrorism Centre (UNCCT) of the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT), held a three-day regional workshop for the Sahel in Rabat, Morocco from 27 to 29 February 2024. Organized within the framework of the project on “Building capacity to eliminate the supply of weapons to terrorists in Africa”, the workshop aimed to support ...
- Niger suspends military cooperation with US
March 17, 2024
Niger has suspended its military agreement with the United States “with immediate effect”, according to the ruling military spokesman Colonel Amadou Abdramane, in a blow to US security interests in the region. The pact allowed US military personnel and civilian defence staff to operate from Niger, which plays a central role in the US military’s operations ...
- Ghana: Let’s unite to fight dangers caused by anti-personnel mines
February 13, 2024
Mr Ambrose Dery, Minister for the Interior, has urged the Economic Community of West African States and nations within the Sahel to unite and mitigate humanitarian crises caused by improvised anti-personnel mines. He also asked them to engage in constructive dialogue, exchange best practices and explore innovative solutions to the menace. Mr Dery made the comments ...
- Morocco, Spain arrest extremists in joint security operation
December 19, 2023
The Central Bureau of Judicial Investigations (BCIJ) under the Directorate General of Territorial Surveillance (DGST) arrested on Tuesday, as part of a joint security operation with the General Commissariat for Information of the Spanish police, an extremist active in Farkhana (Nador region), in parallel with the arrest by the Spanish authorities of other elements in ...
- Niger: Military kills terrorists’ kingpin, bomb expert, 38 other fighters
December 15, 2023
The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) has said wanted terrorists leader, Ali Kachala Kawaje; terrorists bomb expert Machika Dan Muhammad, and 38 other fighters were killed in Niger State airstrikes. Other prominent terrorist leaders neutralised include Haro and Dan Muhammadu both of whom are specialists in kidnapping and assault operations respectively”. Read more… Source: Leadership News
- The U.S. has cut its troop presence in Niger by almost half
December 12, 2023
The U.S. has decreased its troop presence in Niger by almost half according to figures in a White House letter sent to Congress last week. The number of U.S. troops deployed to Niger appears to be 648, according to the White House letter, down by at least 400 since September, when military forces in Niger took ...