Mali forces kill senior figure in Islamic State affiliate

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 Read More …

UNOCT supports the Sahel countries in countering terrorist use of IEDs, UAS and SALW

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 Read More …

Burkina Faso: At least 15 killed in attack on Catholic church in Tombouctou region

At least 15 Catholic worshippers have been killed in a Burkina Faso village when gunmen attacked a community as they gathered for mass at a church in the country’s conflict-hit northern region, church officials said. Sunday’s violence in the village Read More …

Niger: 29 soldiers killed in a suspected jihadist attack

Niger began three days of national mourning Tuesday after 29 soldiers were killed in a suspected jihadist attack, the deadliest since the military took power in July. Monday’s attack in western Niger involved “improvised explosive devices and kamikaze vehicles by Read More …

Who are the partners of the Beninese in the fight against terrorists?

Northern Benin faces the terrorist threat as jihadist groups based in the Sahel try to expand their actions to the Gulf of Guinea countries. To counter this threat and secure the borders, the Beninese army launched Operation Mirador in early Read More …

Mali, Niger, Burkina form Sahel alliance to tackle insurgency

The military leaders in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger have signed an charter establishing defence alliance, ministerial delegations form the three Sahel countries. “Today, together with the Heads of State of Burkina Faso and Niger, I signed the Liptako-Gourma Charter Read More …

UNSC: Terrorist Groups Remain Significant Threat in Conflict Zones, Neighbouring States

Despite the threat level remaining low in non-conflict areas, Da’esh and its affiliates continue to constitute a serious threat in conflict zones and neighbouring countries, a senior United Nations official told the Security Council today, underscoring that the use of Read More …

Trafficking in the Sahel: Guns, gas, and gold

In the first of a series of features exploring the fight against trafficking in the Sahel, UN News takes a closer look at what’s behind the growth of the phenomenon. A tangled trafficking web has been woven across the Sahel, Read More …

Ghana: Attempted bombing in Bawku area fuels jihadist fears

Criminals in northern Ghana tried to blow up a bridge using explosives for the first time in a region where the government fears growing violent spillover from a jihadist war across the border in Burkina Faso, a top official said. Read More …

Burkina Faso: At least 18 killed in Bani attacks

At least 18 people have been killed in two attacks in the town of Bani in Burkina Faso, sources briefed on the incidents told AFP on Sunday, as violence rages in the Sahel nation. The country faces a jihadist insurgency Read More …

Burkina Faso: At least 21 civilians killed in bus explosion in Gourma province

A public transport bus hit an improvised explosive device near the village of Bougui at the exit of the town of Fada N’Gourma, in the east of the country on Sunday, December 25, 2022. “At least 21 people died. These Read More …

Burkina Faso: 4 Burkina Troops, 3 Civilians Killed in Jihadist-hit North

A roadside bomb killed four troops in northern Burkina Faso, an area wracked by jihadi insurgency, the army said on Saturday, while three civilians died in another strike in the same region. The troops were killed on Friday when an Read More …

Burkina Faso: Soldiers and ‘terrorists’ dead in Oudalan Province attack

Two soldiers died and a dozen “terrorists” were killed on Monday during an attack against a military detachment in Burkina Faso’s militant-hit north, the army said. The landlocked African state is in the grip of a seven-year-old insurgency that has Read More …

Burkina Faso: At least 35 civilians killed in IED convoy blast

At least 35 civilians have been killed as a convoy of vehicles carrying supplies in Burkino Faso’s restive northern region struck an improvised explosive device (IED), according to the regional governor. The explosion, which wounded 37 others, occurred as the Read More …

Togolese army repels ‘terrorist’ attack, says official

Togo’s armed forces said Tuesday they had repelled a “terrorist” attack that injured “several” soldiers in the far northern village of Blamonga on the border with Burkina Faso. The attack, which took place on Monday, was the fifth in the Read More …

Burkina Faso: At least 15 soldiers killed in the Bam province blasts

At least 15 soldiers were killed in northern Burkina Faso when a transport vehicle drove over a hidden explosive, killing several troops before a second explosion killed those who rushed to their aid, the army has said in a statement. Read More …

Burkina Faso: At least 4 killed in explosion in Bam province

At least four civilians were killed in the blast of an improvised explosive device Friday in the central-north region of Burkina Faso, a security source told Xinhua in the capital Ouagadougou. A tricycle among a convoy of civilians under Army Read More …

In post-coup Burkina Faso, jihadist attacks grow fiercer despite junta pledge

When mutinous soldiers ousted Burkina Faso’s democratically elected president in late January, they vowed to do a better job of securing the Sahelian country from attacks linked to al-Qaeda and the so-called Islamic State. But violence has only increased over Read More …

Jihadi-Linked Violence on Rise in Burkina Faso

A report by Human Rights Watch finds civilians in Burkina Faso are suffering from an increase in attacks by armed Islamist groups and government security forces. The conflict has displaced millions and increased recruitment into armed groups. The escalating attacks Read More …

Togo: Eight soldiers killed in the Kpendjal prefecture, raising spectre of first deadly Islamist attack

Eight soldiers were killed and 13 wounded in an attack in northern Togo on Wednesday, the government said, marking potentially the first deadly raid on its territory by Islamist militants who have killed thousands in neighbouring countries. Before dawn, a Read More …