Terrorists Capitalize on COVID-19 to Erode State Authority, Attack National, International Forces in Sahel, Peacekeeping Chief Tells Security Council

African Members Emphasize Urgent Need to Boost Operational Capacity of G5 Sahel Joint Force, Humanitarian Relief for Displaced COVID-19 has added a layer of complexity to the highly volatile security situation in the Sahel, with terrorists capitalizing on the pandemic Read More …

ISIS in Africa: The End of the “Sahel Exception”

This article will analyze two exceptions. The first is the long absence of confrontation between al Qaeda and Islamic state offshoots in the Sahel area. The second is an elected official conducting negotiations with an al Qaeda offshoot. Both constitute Read More …

French Foreign Legion soldier dies from injuries after anti-jihadist operation in Mali

A French Foreign Legion soldier who was fighting in Mali died on Friday from his injuries in an IED attack, the Élysée Palace announced in a press release on Saturday. Brigadier Dymyto Martynyouk was struck by an improvised explosive device Read More …

2 Malian soldiers killed in landmine explosion

At least two Malian soldiers were killed in a landmine explosion in the central part of the West African country, the army said late Tuesday. ”A FAMa [Malian Armed Forces] vehicle jumped on Tuesday, March 24, 2020, on an improvised Read More …

Three Irish soldiers injured after IED explodes near convoy in Mali

The injured troops’ next of kins and families have been contacted. A spokesman said: “Earlier today, Defence Forces personnel deployed with the United Nations MINUSMA mission in Mali were involved in an operational incident. “While conducting a Patrol east of Read More …

Two Belgian soldiers injured by makeshift explosive in Mali

Two Belgian soldiers currently serving in Mali were injured when their vehicle drove over a makeshift explosive, Belgium’s defence minister said. Both soldiers were hospitalised in Gao a town near the border with Nigeria, located some 1,000 kilometres east of Read More …

‘Poor man’s bomb’ reaps bloody toll in African jihadist hotspot

They are cheap, made from components that are easily obtained – and murderously effective. Security experts say that in the arsenal of jihadist groups whose insurgency is shaking the Sahel state of Burkina Faso, the improvised explosive device (IED) is Read More …

In Sahel, French troops hunt hidden menace of jihadist landmines

The unit commander’s order crackles over the radio and the column of French armoured vehicles en route between Burkina Faso and Mali comes to a sudden halt. In the Sahel scrub some 50 kilometres (31 miles) from Deou, in northern Read More …

UN chief: Terrorists strengthen foothold in Africa’s Sahel

Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is warning that terrorist groups have strengthened their foothold across Africa’s Sahel region, which is experiencing escalating violence. The U.N. chief said in a report to the U.N. Security Council circulated Wednesday that the expanding foothold is Read More …

French soldier killed by IED as ISIS claim deadly attack on Malian troops

ISIS has claimed an attack in Mali’s volatile east nera the border with Niger that killed a French soldier on Saturday, a day after 53 Malian troops were massacred in the same area. Militants “detonated an explosive device on a Read More …

Secretary-General condemns attacks on UN peacekeepers in Mali

The UN Secretary-General has strongly condemned two separate attacks on Sunday against the organization’s Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) which left one peacekeeper dead and four others injured. A blue helmet from Chad was killed and three others Read More …