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 …

AQIM’s Imperial Playbook: Understanding al-Qa’ida in the Islamic Maghreb’s Expansion into West Africa

In 2021, the United Nations noted the newfound threats of the Group for Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM), a branch of al-Qa`ida in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), that extended into Burkina Faso and the Ivory Coast, stretching farther yet Read More …

Civil Society Perspectives: ISIL in Africa – Key Trends and Developments

The present report synthesizes the views of more than 50 representatives of African civil society organizations (CSOs), located in 15 Member States, who contributed to two virtual roundtables convened by CTED in October and November 2021. The roundtables aimed to Read More …

Attacks in Mali and Burkina Faso kill 21, wound dozens

Fifteen soldiers and six civilians were killed on Sunday in attacks in Mali and Burkina Faso, neighbouring West African countries struggling with deadly jihadist insurgencies, military and security sources said. Suicide bombers drove cars packed with explosives into three military Read More …

ISIL 2.0: How the group became a franchise

The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, or ISIS) has changed form several times over the years. With its origins in the aftermath of the US invasion of Iraq in 2003, ISIL was forged from an alliance between Read More …

Burkina Faso: 13 soldiers killed in attack by suspected Islamic extremists in Gourma province

At least 13 soldiers were killed and eight others wounded in Burkina Faso’s eastern Gourma province in an ambush by suspected Islamic extremists, the army announced on Monday. A number of the attackers were killed in the incident, according to Read More …

Burkina Faso army chief calls for ‘new impetus’ to combat jihadi terrorism

Burkina Faso’s new armed forces chief, who was appointed last week following a military coup, on Wednesday vowed to give a “new impetus” to a years-long struggle against jihadist insurgents. At a ceremony to mark his appointment, Colonel David Kabre Read More …

Burkina Faso: Four French soldiers injured in bomb blast in Yatenga Province

Four French soldiers were wounded in an improvised explosive device blast in northern Burkina Faso, France’s military told AFP Tuesday evening. “(Their) off-road vehicle activated an IED as it left Ouahigouya airport,” the army said in a statement, adding the Read More …

Sahel Conflict Set to Worsen in 2022 – Analysts

Islamist militant attacks increased this past year in the Sahel region, leading to political instability that saw a coup in Mali, an attempted coup in Niger, and calls for Burkina Faso’s president to resign. Burkina Faso experienced the deadliest terrorist Read More …

Burkina Faso: Army recovered 15 improvised explosive devices in operation with Niger

Burkina Faso’s armed forces killed about 100 militants in a joint operation with Niger between Nov. 25 and Dec. 9 in the two countries’ border zone, the Burkinabe army said. The operation involved hundreds of troops deployed on both sides Read More …

Why France faces so much anger in West Africa

It all started so positively. Where have things gone wrong? Why does France now appear so unpopular in Africa? French President Emmanuel Macron has increased aid to the continent, begun the return of cultural artefacts stolen during the colonial wars Read More …

Selected Police personnel in Africa trained in explosives combat

Selected Police personnel from 11 African countries have undergone explosive recognition and awareness training to combat explosive-related threats by terrorists and extremists. The two-week training dubbed: “Explosives Hazards Awareness Training (EHAT) of Trainers,” drew participants from Ghana, Nigeria, Liberia, Sierra Read More …

Burkina Faso : 3 soldiers killed, 5 hurt in Sanmatenga Province

Three soldiers and a militiaman were killed as two blasts hit a military convoy in northern Burkina Faso last week, the army confirmed late on Tuesday. The incident happened last Friday near the town of Dablo when a joint force Read More …

Two Burkina Faso soldiers killed in IED blast

Two Burkina Faso soldiers have been killed died while looking for four policemen missing after a deadly jihadist ambush, the government said Wednesday. “After the death of 11 policemen” on Monday in the Centre-Nord region, the two soldiers had died Read More …

Ivory Coast: Police officer, two soldiers killed in a blast near the border with Burkina Faso

Two soldiers and a police officer were killed when their vehicle hit an explosive device in northeast Ivory Coast near the border with Burkina Faso, the military said Sunday. Army chief of staff General Lassina Doumbia said that at around Read More …

UAE begins first flights to support counter-terrorism operations in the Sahel

The UAE has launched “logistical support flights” as part of French-led counter-terror operations in the African Sahel. The first flight took off from Abu Dhabi watched by Maj. Gen. Saleh Mohammed Al-Ameri, commander of joint operations at the Ministry of Read More …

International Operation Disrupts Supply of Firearms to Terrorists: INTERPOL & UNODC Target Firearms Trafficking in West Africa and the Sahel

Lyon (France) & Vienna (Austria), 21 December 2020 — A seven-day operation saw law enforcement officers intercept illicit firearms, ammunition and explosives, and disrupt the trafficking networks used to supply terrorists across West Africa and the Sahel. Under Operation KAFO Read More …