INTL Region In Focus: The Sahel, it's issues with terrorism, it's coups and it's future

[jward]

eurasiareview.com
Terror Attacks Increase In Togo As Sahel Extremists Encroach
Africa Defense Forum​

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Violent extremist organizations from northern Benin and Burkina Faso are increasingly targeting northern Togo as conflicts from the Sahel spill into coastal countries.

Four people on a tricycle in the north-central town of Bonzougou were killed June 18 after riding over an improvised explosive device (IED). Several terror groups operate in the Savannahs region, although none claimed responsibility for the attack, Togo’s L’Alternative newspaper reported.

The attack in Bonzougou is farther south into Togo’s territory than previous attacks.

Five days later, hooded terrorists ambushed the northern town of Bamone, slit the throats of three people and took their cellphones. A fourth person was killed as the terrorists escaped, according to L’Alternative, which reported that the Togolese government no longer communicates on operations against terrorists in northern Togo.

These were two of several attacks on military and civilians reported in northern Togo in late June. Togolese social media users also reported deadly fighting between extremists and the military in northeast Togo, where rebels likely entered the country from Benin.

In early April, a Togolese Armed Forces helicopter was forced to make an emergency landing while conducting a counterinsurgency operation against armed groups in the northern town of Koundjoaré, Africa Intelligence reported. The helicopter, which was carrying weapons and ammunition, was destroyed and several Soldiers were injured. The Togolese defense ministry did not comment on the incident.

Violence has gradually seeped into Togo since 2021, when terrorists attacked Sanloaga near the borders with Benin and Burkina Faso. Soon after, several terror incidents were reported in the Savannahs region.

Last year, Togolese President Faure Gnassingbé addressed the jihadist “war” in northern Togo.

“We have paid a heavy price, especially our defense and security forces, who have lost around 40 men unfortunately, and then we add civilian victims, a hundred or so civilian victims in the country,” Gnassingbé told local station New World TV.

Gnassingbé blamed the violence on the Islamic State group in the Greater Sahara and the Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin, which is linked to al-Qaida.

Northern Togo is rife with banditry, and gold, drugs, arms and fuel smuggling, which aggravates local tensions and provides terrorists with financial resources.

The Togolese people “should expect a long fight with dramatic moments, which is inevitable in times of war,” Gnassingbétold New World TV. “But I want to assure my countrymen that in the end, we will win.”

According to Gnassingbé, the government removed nearly 12,000 people from their northern Togo homes to “better protect the border.” Togo also is hosting people displaced from Burkina Faso.

Besides military operations, Gnassingbé said the government had set up an interministerial committee meant to deradicalize or prevent radicalization of men and young people who are more likely to join violent extremist organizations.

Togolese authorities in November 2023 announced the launch of a new program to support those facing terrorism and security issues. The Emergency Program to Strengthen Community Resilience and Security aims to “implement all actions to bolster populations’ resilience on all levels,” according to a Togo Council of Ministers decree.

The program will provide social support to people facing “grave threats,” “terrorist attacks” and “the increase in cross-border crime,” especially in the north. It is expected to build on other initiatives, such as the Emergency Program for the Savannahs, known as PURS, according to the Togo First newspaper.

Terror Attacks Increase In Togo As Sahel Extremists Encroach

Violent extremist organizations from northern Benin and Burkina Faso are increasingly targeting northern Togo as conflicts from the Sahel spill into coastal countries. Four people on a tricycle in the north-central town of Bonzougou were killed June 18 after riding over an improvised explosive...

www.eurasiareview.com

 

[Housecarl]

Posted for fair use......

Mali rebels thwart Russian mercenaries in sandstorm ambush

Mercenaries formerly of the Wagner group say they suffered "losses" at the hands of 1,000 rebels.

www.bbc.com

Russian commander killed in sandstorm ambush in Mali​

11 hours ago
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Wedaeli Chibelushi
BBC News

A commander in a Russian mercenary group has been killed in Mali following an attack by rebel fighters during a sandstorm, the group said.

The military regime in the West African state had turned to the notorious Wagner group in 2021, seeking support in fighting jihadist and separatist forces.

On Monday the Russian outfit - which has now morphed into a group named Africa Corps - said it had joined Mali's military in "fierce battles" against separatist rebels and jihadist militants last week.

However, the separatists launched a major attack, killing an estimated 20 to 50 mercenaries, sources close to Africa Corps told the BBC.

Similarly, several Russian military bloggers reported that at least 20 were killed in the ambush near the north-eastern town of Tinzaouaten.

In an official statement posted to Telegram, the Russian mercenary group did not specify how many of their troops had died, but they confirmed suffering "losses". This included a commander, Sergei Shevchenko, who was killed in action.

The mercenaries initially "destroyed most of the Islamists and put the rest to flight", the statement said.

"However, [an] ensuing sandstorm allowed the radicals to regroup and increase their numbers to 1,000 people," it added.

The Permanent Strategic Framework for Peace, Security and Development (CSP-PSD), a separatist group dominated by the Tuareg ethnic group, claimed responsibility for the attack.

"On Saturday, our forces dealt a decisive blow to the enemy columns," AFP quoted the CSP-PSD's spokesperson as saying.

Prisoners were taken and "a large amount of equipment and weapons were damaged or captured", the spokesman added.

The rebel group has shared video footage which shows numerous white men in military fatigues lying motionless on a sandy plain.

Another shows a group of mostly black men wearing blindfolds with their hands tied behind their backs.

The BBC has not been able to confirm the authenticity of the videos.

Jamaat Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), an al-Qaeda affiliate, has also claimed sole responsibility for the attack.
The Islamist militants said they killed 50 Russian mercenaries in a "complex ambush".

More than a decade ago, Mali's central government lost control of much of the north following a Tuareg rebellion, which was sparked by a demand for a separate state.

The country's security then was then further complicated by the involvement of Islamist militants in the conflict.

When seizing power in coups in 2020 and 2021, the military cited the government's inability to tackle this unrest.

The new junta severed Mali's long-running alliance with former colonial power France in favour of Russia in a bid to quell the unrest.

But the Wagner mercenary group was in effect dismantled after a mutiny by its leader Yevgeny Prigozhin last year, leading to its replacement in West Africa by Africa Corps.

You may also be interested in:​

• How the Russian mercenary group Wagner has rebranded
• Life in Timbuktu and Gao under siege by Islamist fighters

 

[Plain Jane]

Russia's Wagner has deadliest loss in Africa’s Sahel, highlighting the region's instability

Dozens of Wagner mercenaries were killed by jihadis and rebels over the weekend in northern Mali in what one analyst describes as the largest battleground blow to the shadowy Russian group in years.

apnews.com

Russia’s Wagner has deadliest loss in Africa’s Sahel, highlighting the region’s instability​

BY CHINEDU ASADU AND SAM MEDNICK
Updated 3:48 PM EDT, July 29, 2024
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ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — Dozens of Wagner mercenaries were killed by jihadis and rebels over the weekend in northern Mali in what one analyst described on Monday as the largest battleground blow to the shadowy Russian group in years. At least two others were taken captive.

Approximately 50 Wagner fighters in a convoy were killed in an al-Qaida ambush, which was joined by rebels who were in pursuit, along the border with Algeria, said Wassim Nasr, a Sahel specialist and senior research fellow at the Soufan Center, a security think tank, who said he counted bodies in a video of the aftermath. The mercenaries had been fighting mostly Tuareg rebels alongside Mali’s army when their convoy was forced to retreat into jihadi territory and ambushed south of the commune of Tinzaouaten, Nasr said.

Wagner confirmed in a Telegram statement on Monday that some of its fighters as well as Malian troops were killed in a battle with hundreds of militants. The mercenary group did not say how many of its fighters were killed. Mali’s army said it lost two soldiers and 20 rebels were killed.

In a statement over the weekend, al-Qaida asserted that 50 Wagner fighters were killed in its attack meant to “avenge the massacres committed in the center and north” of Mali in the yearslong battle against the extremists. The Tuareg rebels said an unspecified number of the mercenaries and Malian soldiers surrendered to them.

The Associated Press was not immediately able to verify the video Nasr cited.

“This is really important. It’s never happened before on African soil and it will change the dynamics,” Nasr said. “They (Wagner) won’t be sending any more wild expeditions like this near the border with Algeria. They had been bragging about how well they were doing and how strong they are, but they don’t have the manpower to do this for long or to hold on territory to secure deployments.”

Russia has capitalized on the deteriorating relations between the West and coup-affected Sahel nations in West Africa to send fighters and assert its influence. Wagner has been active in the Sahel — the vast expanse south of the Sahara Desert — as the mercenaries profit from seized mineral riches in exchange for their security services.

Wagner has been present in Mali since late 2021 following a military coup, replacing French troops and international peacekeepers in helping to fight militants who have threatened communities in the central and northern regions for more than a decade. At the same time, Wagner has been accused of helping to carry out raids and drone strikes that have killed civilians.

The group has had an estimated 1,000 fighters in Mali.

Since helping Mali’s forces to regain control of the key northern town of Kidal, Wagner mercenaries have been overconfident and overstretched, said independent analyst John Lechner.

He said failures like the weekend ambush are the reason why the Wagner brand was retained in Mali. “Large losses or setbacks are attributed to private military companies,” he said. “Victories to the (Russian) ministry of defense.”

___​

Mednick reported from Dakar, Senegal. Dasha Litvinova in Tallinn, Estonia, contributed.

 

[Plain Jane]

Mali troops put down a deadly militant attack in the capital

Army troops have subdued Islamic militants who attacked a military training camp and the airport in Mali's capital, but some soldiers were killed.

apnews.com

Mali troops put down a deadly militant attack in the capital​

By BABA AHMED, SAM MEDNICK and MARK BANCHEREAU
Updated 10:32 PM EDT, September 17, 2024
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BAMAKO, Mali (AP) — Mali troops subdued the Islamic militants who attacked a military training camp and the airport in Mali’s capital Tuesday after gunbattles that killed some soldiers, authorities said. An al-Qaida-linked group claimed the attack.

The militants tried to infiltrate the Faladie military police school in Bamako in a rare attack for the capital before government troops were able to “neutralize” the attackers, army Chief of Staff Oumar Diarra said on national TV, without elaborating.

At least 15 suspects were arrested, a security official who was inside the training camp at the time of the attack told The Associated Press. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to talk to reporters.

“This cowardly and perfidious attack led to some losses of life on the army’s side,” the army said in a statement read on national television in the evening, confirming that trainees at the military training camp were killed but not saying how many.

Mali’s army also confirmed the militants targeted the airport, in the statement.

The al-Qaida-linked militant group JNIM claimed responsibility for the attacks on its website Azallaq. Videos posted by JNIM show fighters setting a plane on fire. The group claimed to have inflicted “major human and material losses.”

An AP reporter heard two explosions in the area earlier Tuesday and saw smoke rise from a location on the outskirts of the city where the camp and airport are located.


Soon after the attacks, Mali’s authorities closed the airport, with Transport Ministry spokesman Mohamed Ould Mamouni saying flights were suspended because of the exchange of gunfire nearby. The airport reopened later in the day.

The U.S. Embassy in Bamako told its staff to remain at home and stay off the roads.

Mali, along with its neighbors Burkina Faso and Niger, has for more than a decade battled an insurgency fought by armed groups, including some allied with al-Qaida and the Islamic State group. Following military coups in all three nations in recent years, the ruling juntas have expelled French forces and turned to Russian mercenary units for security assistance instead.

Since taking power, Col. Assimi Goita has struggled to stave off jihadi attacks. Attacks in central and northern Mali are increasing. In July, approximately 50 Russian mercenaries in a convoy were killed in an al-Qaida ambush.

Attacks in the capital of Bamako are rare, however.

“I think JNIM wanted to show they can also stage attacks in the south and in the capital, following the battle on the north near the Algeria border where Wagner suffered losses,” said Ulf Laessing, head of the Sahel program at the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, which promotes democracy.

In 2022, gunmen struck a Malian army checkpoint about 60 kilometers (40 miles) outside the city, killing at least six people and wounding several others. In 2015, another al-Qaida linked extremist group killed at least 20 people, including one American, during an attack on a hotel in Bamako.

Tuesday’s attack is significant because it showed that JNIM has the ability to stage a large-scale attack, Wassim Nasr, a journalist and senior research fellow at the Soufan Center, told the AP.

It also shows they are concentrating on military targets, rather than random attacks on civilians, he said.

Mednick reported from Goma, Congo, and Banchereau from Dakar, Senegal.

 

[jward]

DD Geopolitics
@DD_Geopolitics
Russia Moves Africa Into Space

A breakaway West African bloc consisting of Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso is collaborating with Russia to launch at least two satellites, as confirmed in an official statement on Tuesday.

The project was discussed in Bamako, Mali’s capital, by Col. Assimi Goita, Mali’s president and chair of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), and Ilya Tarasenko, head of Glavkosmos, along with officials from Niger and Burkina Faso.

This initiative is intended to address the challenges of sovereignty, security, and development in the region. The AES was formed last September as a united front by the three countries under military regimes.

 

[Plain Jane]

Chad & Senegal Are Teaming Up To Expel France From The Sahel | ZeroHedge

ZeroHedge - On a long enough timeline, the survival rate for everyone drops to zero

www.zerohedge.com

Chad & Senegal Are Teaming Up To Expel France From The Sahel​

by Tyler Durden
Monday, Dec 02, 2024 - 02:00 AM
Authored by Andrew Korybko via Substack,
France and the US are expected to apply a three-pronged policy for pushing back against this...


Thursday was an historic day for African geopolitics since Chad announced that it’s expelling French troops while Senegal said that it plans to do the same in the near future. These are France’s last military outposts in the Sahel after it was expelled from Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger, which now form the Sahelian Alliance that’s also merging into a Confederation. The immediate consequence is that Russian influence will likely surge while France is expected to turn the Ivory Coast into its top regional base.

These trends align with the larger one of Africa becoming a theater of competition in the New Cold War. The West wants to retain its declining unipolar hegemony while Russia and China are leading the push by the non-West to accelerate multipolar processes there. The first manifests itself through coups, Color Revolutions, and insurgencies (collectively known as Hybrid War) while the second takes the form of Russia helping its partners counteract these threats as China provides no-strings-attached economic aid.

The latest development confirms that the African Hinterland is the continent’s bastion of multipolarity while the coastal periphery serves as both the entry point and redoubt for unipolarity, which mirrors the dynamics in Eurasia. This in turn lends further credence to Professor Alexander Dugin’s theory about the historical rivalry between land powers and sea powers. In the African context, Eurasia’s land powers are helping their fellow Hinterland partners liberate themselves from the influence of Eurasia’s sea powers.

These same sea powers, in this case France (which historically has a dual sea-land identity) and the US, are now retreating to the sea-aligned Ivory Coast after being kicked out of the Sahel. This will place more pressure on Nigeria, which is an African land power that has a long history of close ties with Western sea powers like the UK and the US. The aforesaid were on full display during summer 2023’s Western-backed debacle after it unsuccessfully pressured Niger to reinstall its ousted leader and threatened to invade it.

The failure to reap any tangible dividends from this needlessly aggressive policy led to a grand strategic rethinking that culminated in Nigeria becoming an official BRICS partner after October’s summit. This was a positive step, but nothing has yet been done to resolve the country’s infamous corruption nor its seemingly intractable spree of long-running ethno/religious-regional conflicts, both of which can be externally exacerbated by the West to manipulate its foreign policy or punish it if this approach fails.

It's one thing for the West to lose its geostrategic position in the Sahel, which includes some of the world’s poorest countries (Senegal is head and shoulders above the rest but still has lots of poverty), and another entirely to lose Nigeria, which has huge energy reserves and is Africa’s most populous country. France and the US’ post-Sahelian retrenchment in the Ivory Coast is only useful insofar as providing a base from which to destabilize the Sahelian Alliance/Confederation but is useless vis-à-vis Nigeria.

Observers can accordingly expect the West (led by the US and France) to apply a three-pronged policy for pushing back against the latest multipolar achievements: 1) more Hybrid War against the Sahelian Alliance/Confederation; 2) more outreaches to Nigeria; and 3) Hybrid War against it too if this fails. The Ivory Coast will play a central role in the first aspect; the second will take diplomatic and economic forms; while the third can manifest through covert support (including military) for existing armed groups.

No suggestion is being made about the success of this predicted policy, just that part or all of this sequence will likely unfold due to the friction between Western/non-Western and unipolar/multipolar interests in Africa, which was worsened by France’s latest military blow in the Sahel. It and the US might still need time to cook up a plan for how to most effectively respond to everything, but nobody should doubt that they’ll do something, and whatever it is will be aimed at restoring their lost hegemony.

 

[Plain Jane]

West Africa regional bloc approves exit timeline for 3 coup-hit member states

West Africa’s regional bloc ECOWAS has approved an exit timeline for three coup-hit nations. It comes after a nearly yearlong process of mediation to avert the unprecedented disintegration of the grouping.

apnews.com

West Africa regional bloc approves exit timeline for 3 coup-hit member states​

By CHINEDU ASADU
Updated 12:51 PM EST, December 15, 2024

ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — West Africa’s regional bloc ECOWAS approved Sunday an exit timeline for three coup-hit nations after a nearly yearlong process of mediation to avert the unprecedented disintegration of the grouping.

In a first in the 15-nation bloc’s nearly 50 years of existence, the military juntas of Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso announced in January that they decided to leave ECOWAS, accusing it of “inhumane and irresponsible” coup-related sanctions and of failing to help them solve their internal security crises.

“The authority decides to set the period from 29 January, 2025 to 29 July 2025 as a transitional period and to keep ECOWAS doors open to the three countries during the transition period,” ECOWAS Commission President Omar Alieu Touray said in his closing remarks Sunday at the summit of regional heads of state in Nigeria’s capital, Abuja.

The three coup-hit countries have largely rebuffed ECOWAS’ efforts to reverse their withdrawal. They have started to consider how to issue travel documents separately from ECOWAS and are forming their own alliance. The one-year notice for their departure is expected to be completed in January.

Touray commended efforts by the bloc’s envoys to resolve the crisis. “These efforts underscore your collective commitment to preserving peace and unity in our region,” he said.

Bola Tinubu, the president of Nigeria and chairman of ECOWAS, said the challenges faced around the world and in the region test its ability to work together. “We must not lose sight of our fundamental responsibility, which is to protect our citizens and create an enabling environment where they can prosper,” he said.

One major benefit of being a member of ECOWAS is visa-free movement to member states, and it is not clear how that could change after the three countries leave the bloc. Asked about such an implication in July, the ECOWAS commission president said: “When you get out of an agreement ... if it is about free trade, free movement of people, the risk of losing those concessions remains.”

On Saturday, the three countries said in a joint statement that while access to their territories would remain visa-free for other West African citizens, they “reserve the right … to refuse entry to any ECOWAS national falling into the category of inadmissible immigrants.”

As West Africa’s top political authority since it was formed in 1975, such a division is ECOWAS’ biggest challenge since inception, said Babacar Ndiaye, senior fellow with the Senegal-based Timbuktu Institute for Peace Studies.

The chances of ECOWAS getting the three countries back into their fold are slim mostly because the bloc wants a quick return to democracy, which the juntas have not committed to, said Mucahid Durmaz, a senior analyst at global risk consultancy Verisk Maplecroft. Allowing the juntas to remain in power “could risk further regional fragmentation” while recognizing them as legitimate authorities would represent “a serious departure from ECOWAS’s founding principles,” Durmaz said.

The regional bloc also failed to manage the situation in the best possible way, he said.


“The bloc’s inconsistent responses to coups in the region have given an impression that its stance is influenced more by the political ambitions of member states than by its founding principles of promoting democratic governance,” Durmaz said.

___

Associated Press journalist Baba Ahmed in Bamako, Mali, contributed.

 

[Plain Jane]

Bloomberg Is Manufacturing Consent For More Western Meddling In Sudan | ZeroHedge

ZeroHedge - On a long enough timeline, the survival rate for everyone drops to zero

www.zerohedge.com

Bloomberg Is Manufacturing Consent For More Western Meddling In Sudan​

by Tyler Durden
Sunday, Dec 22, 2024 - 08:10 AM
Authored by Andrew Korybko via substack,
The pretext is to jointly contain Russian and Iranian influence in the broader region amidst their recent setbacks in the Levant...

Bloomberg published a detailed piece on Wednesday about how “Russian Guns, Iranian Drones Are Fueling Sudan’s Brutal Civil War”. The content is self-explanatory and presents the Sudanese Armed Forces’ (SAF) change of fortune in the nearly two-year-long civil war as the result of those two’s backing. Russia provides fuel, arms, and jet components while Iran supplies arms and drones in exchange for privileged access to Sudan’s mineral wealth (particularly gold) and the promise of Red Sea naval bases.



The Russian modus operandi builds upon the model explained here in early 2023 whereby Moscow provides military support to its Global South partners to defend them from externally connected threats to their national models of democracy in exchange for resource and other rights.

Iran’s approach is similar but more ideologically driven given the SAF’s closeness with political Islam since former leader Omar al-Bashir’s rise to power in 1989. Both want to make up for recent setbacks in the Levant.

Russia risks losing its bases in Syria following the joint American-Turkish regime change there while Iran’s regional Resistance Axis partners have taken a beating at the hands of Israel.

Egypt and Turkiye are also allegedly backing the SAF while the UAE and its Libyan ally Haftar are accused of supporting their Rapid Support Forces (RSF) rivals. Even so, Emirati mineral companies are still active in the SAF-controlled Port Sudan that serves as the country’s temporary capital, thus highlighting the complexity of this conflict.

Readers should also be reminded that “Russia’s Veto Of The UNSC Resolution On Sudan Saved It From A Neocolonialist Plot” last month after the UK tried to turn it into a Western vassal by unsuccessfully attempting to create the legal pretext for a foreign military intervention there to that end.

Such a threat still remains though as suggested by Bloomberg’s latest piece, which is clearly aimed at manufacturing consent for more Western meddling there on the basis of jointly containing Russia and Iran.

Trump 2.0 is expected to be tough on Iran, and while he himself wants to improve ties with Russia, he might be pressured by the hawkish forces around him into ramping up the US’ involvement in Sudan so as to kill two birds with one stone by weakening their influence in the broader region. Both are on the backfoot as was earlier explained so the temptation to do so might be too enticing. This could take the form of more sanctions, clandestine arms shipments to the RSF, and intelligence support to that group.

Anything more significant isn’t expected since the continued Houthi threat makes a naval blockade unfeasible for now while a no-fly zone would require a sustained air campaign that none of the US’ regional partners, first and foremost among them Egypt, supports. Cairo could also complicate whatever Washington wants to do since it has a land border with Sudan and considers the SAF “too big to fail” due to their shared interests vis-à-vis Ethiopia with whom both are feuding over its Grand Renaissance Dam.

In any case, Bloomberg’s article is meant to facilitate whatever more robust policy Trump 2.0 might promulgate towards Sudan, though it’s of course also possible that he won’t allow the US to get dragged deeper in what could turn into the next “forever war”.

From the perspective of the US’ grand strategic interests as his MAGA worldview interprets them, it’s best for the US to stay out of this imbroglio and focus instead on brokering peace in Ukraine in order to then “Pivot (back) to Asia” for containing China.

 

[OldArcher]

Keeping Terrorism at Bay in Mauritania
By Anouar Boukhars
June 16, 2020

Mauritania’s security reforms, including training, enhanced mobility, Special Forces, prudent procurement, and community engagement have strengthened its capability to confront violent extremist groups.

Keeping Terrorism at Bay in Mauritania – Africa Center

Security reforms in Mauritania, from prudent procurement to community engagement, has strengthened its ability to counter violent extremism.

africacenter.org

Understanding Fulani Perspectives on the Sahel Crisis
By Modibo Ghaly Cissé
April 22, 2020

The disproportionate representation of Fulani in militant Islamist groups in the Sahel has led to the stigmatization of the entire Fulani community. Reversing this will require renewed outreach and trust-building between Fulani leaders, government authorities, and neighboring communities.
Chadian soldiers in Bosso, Niger

Understanding Fulani Perspectives on the Sahel Crisis – Africa Center

The number of Fulani in militant groups in the Sahel has led to stigmatization of the Fulani community. Trust-building among Fulani leaders, government authorities, and neighboring communities will be needed to reverse this.

africacenter.org

Chad’s Escalating Fight against Boko Haram
By Daniel Eizenga
April 20, 2020

A rise in Boko Haram and ISWA attacks in Chad has been met with a military surge to clear the area. Enduring success will require a sustained presence and an intensified regional commitment.

Chad and the Escalating Fight against Boko Haram – Africa Center

Boko Haram and ISWA attacks in Chad have been met with a military surge. Enduring success will require sustained presence and regional commitment.

africacenter.org

How Violent Extremist Groups Exploit Intercommunal Conflicts in the Sahel
By Laurence-Aïda Ammour
February 26, 2020

Rising violence by militant Islamist groups in the Sahel is straining intercommunal tensions, threatening the foundations of social cohesion in the region.
Mali soldiers in Gao

How Violent Extremist Groups Exploit Intercommunal Conflicts in the Sahel – Africa Center

Rising violence by militant Islamist groups in the Sahel is straining intercommunal tensions, threatening the foundations of social cohesion in the region.

africacenter.org

Responding to the Rise in Violent Extremism in the Sahel
By Pauline Le Roux
December 2, 2019

Reversing the escalating violence of militant Islamist groups in the Sahel will require an enhanced security presence coupled with more sustained outreach to local communities.

How Violent Extremist Groups Exploit Intercommunal Conflicts in the Sahel – Africa Center

Rising violence by militant Islamist groups in the Sahel is straining intercommunal tensions, threatening the foundations of social cohesion in the region.

africacenter.org

Strategies for Peace and Security in the Sahel
September 27, 2019

The Sahel is the African region that has seen the most rapid growth in violent extremist activity over the past 2 years. Ambassadors of the G-5 Sahel countries and leading experts examine the drivers and responses to the region's security challenges.
Réduire la violence entre agriculteurs et éleveurs au Mali

Strategies for Peace and Security in the Sahel – Africa Center

The Sahel is the African region that has seen the most rapid growth in violent extremist activity over the past 2 years. Ambassadors of the G-5 Sahel countries and leading experts examine the drivers and responses to the region's security challenges.

africacenter.org

Mitigating Farmer-Herder Violence in Mali
August 8, 2019

The confluence between farmer-herder violence, ethnicity, and extremist groups requires a multitiered response emphasizing a people-centric approach.
Ansaroul Islam militants in northern Burkina Faso, date unknown. (Image: Screen capture from video obtained by Héni Nsaibia from source in Mali)

Mitigating Farmer-Herder Violence in Mali

The confluence between farmer-herder violence, ethnicity, and extremist groups requires a multi-tiered response emphasizing a people-centric approach.

africacenter.org

Ansaroul Islam: The Rise and Decline of a Militant Islamist Group in the Sahel
By Pauline Le Roux
July 29, 2019

Burkina Faso’s first militant Islamist group, Ansaroul Islam, has faced setbacks, pointing to the weaknesses of violent extremist organizations lacking deep local support and facing sustained pressure.

Ansaroul Islam: The Rise and Decline of a Militant Islamist Group in the Sahel – Africa Center

Burkina Faso’s militant Islamist group Ansaroul Islam has faced setbacks, pointing to the weaknesses of extremist organizations lacking local support and facing sustained pressure.

africacenter.org

Exploiting Borders in the Sahel: The Islamic State in the Greater Sahara
By Pauline Le Roux
June 10, 2019

The Islamic State in the Greater Sahara has pursued breadth rather than depth of engagement in its rapid rise along the Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso borders.
EU Security Strategy in Sahel Focused on Security-Development Nexus

Exploiting Borders in the Sahel: The Islamic State in the Greater Sahara

The Islamic State in the Greater Sahara has pursued breadth rather than depth of engagement in its rapid rise along the Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso borders.

africacenter.org

EU Security Strategy in Sahel Focused on Security-Development Nexus
March 7, 2019

EU Special Representative to the Sahel Angel Losada Fernandez discusses Europe's security strategy in the region, which focuses on integrating development, security, and governance in coordination with African actors on the ground, in this interview with the Africa Center.
Security Responses in Sahel Map

EU Security Strategy in Sahel Focused on Security-Development Nexus – Africa Center

EU Special Representative to the Sahel Angel Losada Fernanadez discusses Europe's security strategy in the region, which focuses on integrating development, security, and governance in coordination with African actors on the ground, in this interview with the Africa Center.

africacenter.org

A Review of Major Regional Security Efforts in the Sahel
March 4, 2019

Increased attacks from militant Islamist groups in the Sahel coupled with cross-border challenges such as trafficking, migration, and displacement have prompted a series of regional and international security responses.
Confronting Central Mali’s Extremist Threat

A Review of Major Regional Security Efforts in the Sahel – Africa Center

An escalation of attacks from militant Islamist groups in the Sahel coupled with cross-border challenges such as narcotics trafficking, human trafficking, migration, and population displacement have prompted a series of regional and international security responses.

africacenter.org

Confronting Central Mali’s Extremist Threat
By Pauline Le Roux
February 22, 2019

The Macina Liberation Front has opportunistically played on perceptions of ethnic, economic, religious, and political marginalization to become one of the most active militant Islamist groups in Mali.
The Complex and Growing Threat of Militant Islamist Groups in the Sahel

Confronting Central Mali’s Extremist Threat – Africa Center

The Macina Liberation Front has opportunistically played on perceptions of ethnic, economic, religious, and political marginalization to become one of the most active militant Islamist groups in Mali.

africacenter.org

The Complex and Growing Threat of Militant Islamist Groups in the Sahel
February 15, 2019

The escalation of violent events linked to militant Islamist groups in the Sahel reflects an array of diverse actors operating within distinct geographic concentrations.
Progress and Setbacks in the Fight against African Militant Islamist Groups in 2018

The Complex and Growing Threat of Militant Islamist Groups in the Sahel – Africa Center

The escalation of violent events linked to militant Islamist groups in the Sahel reflects an array of diverse actors operating within distinct geographic concentrations.

africacenter.org

Progress and Setbacks in the Fight against African Militant Islamist Groups in 2018
January 25, 2019

Declines in violent activity linked to Boko Haram and al Shabaab are balanced by increases in the Sahel, generating a mixed picture of the challenge posed by militant Islamist groups in Africa.
The G5 Sahel Joint Force Gains Traction

Progress and Setbacks in the Fight against African Militant Islamist Groups in 2018 – Africa Center

Declines in violent activity linked to Boko Haram and al Shabaab are balanced by increases in the Sahel, generating a mixed picture of the challenge posed by militant Islamist groups in Africa.

africacenter.org

The G5 Sahel Joint Force Gains Traction
February 9, 2018

The G5 Sahel is ramping up its joint security force in order to address the growing threat posed by militant Islamist groups in the Sahel. The Force is emerging as a focal point for transnational security efforts in the region.
A Fulani man herds cattle in northern Cameroon

The G5 Sahel Joint Force Gains Traction – Africa Center

The G5 Sahel is ramping up its joint security force in order to address the growing threat posed by militant Islamist groups in the Sahel. The Force is emerging as a focal point for transnational security efforts in the region.

africacenter.org

Africa’s Pastoralists: A New Battleground for Terrorism
By Kaley Fulton and Benjamin P. Nickels
January 11, 2017

Islamist terrorist groups in the Sahel and Sahara are attempting to exploit pastoralist grievances to mobilize greater support for their agenda, write Kaley Fulton and Benjamin Nickels.
Sahrawi Insurgency Could Provide an Opening for AQIM

Africa’s Pastoralists: A New Battleground for Terrorism

Islamist terrorist groups are attempting to exploit grievances of Africa's pastoralists to mobilize support for their agenda.

africacenter.org

Sahrawi Insurgency Could Provide an Opening for AQIM
By Wendy Williams
June 15, 2016

The unfolding events between Morocco and Western Sahara could provide a sought-after opportunity for AQIM to reassert its relevance in the region.
Place nations unies, Ouagadougou

Sahrawi Insurgency Could Provide an Opening for AQIM

The unfolding events between Morocco and Western Sahara could provide a sought-after opportunity for AQIM to reassert its relevance in the region.

africacenter.org

Terrorists Strike Burkina Faso: What are the Implications?
January 25, 2016

The terrorist attack on a luxury hotel in Ouagadougou is the second time in recent months that groups affiliated with Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) have conducted attacks of this type outside their base area. Benjamin Nickels assesses the significance of these attacks and steps that might be taken by Burkinabé authorities and their partners to address future threats.
Regional Security Cooperation in the Maghreb and Sahel Algerias Pivotal Ambivalence

Terrorists Strike Burkina Faso: What are the Implications? – Africa Center

The terrorist attack on a luxury hotel in Ouagadougou is the second time in recent months, following the deadly assault on the Radisson Blu hotel in

africacenter.org

Regional Security Cooperation in the Maghreb and Sahel: Algeria’s Pivotal Ambivalence
By Laurence Aïda Ammour
February 28, 2012

Despite growing security concerns across the Sahel and Maghreb, regional security cooperation to address these transnational threats remains fragmented. Algeria is well-positioned to play a central role in defining this cooperation, but must first reconcile the complex domestic, regional, and international considerations that shape its decision-making.
Sifting Through the Layers of Insecurity in the Sahel: The Case of Mauritania

Regional Security Cooperation in the Maghreb and Sahel: Algeria’s Pivotal Ambivalence – Africa Center

Algeria faces inverse incentives to combat AQIM outside of Algiers as it gains much of its geostrategic leverage by maintaining overstated perceptions of a serious terrorism threat. The Algerian government’s limited legitimacy, primarily derived from its ability to deliver stability, constrains...

africacenter.org

Sifting Through the Layers of Insecurity in the Sahel: The Case of Mauritania
By Cédric Jourde
September 30, 2011

Increasing narcotrafficking and a more active Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb are elevating concerns over instability in the Sahel. However, the region’s threats are more complex than what is observable on the surface. Rather, security concerns are typically characterized by multiple, competing, and fluctuating interests at the local, national, and regional levels. Effectively responding to these threats requires in-depth understanding of the multiple contextual layers in which illicit actors operate.

The Layers of Insecurity in the Sahel: The Case of Mauritania

Security concerns are typically characterized by multiple, competing, and fluctuating interests at the local, national, and regional levels.

africacenter.org

West Africa’s Growing Terrorist Threat: Confronting AQIM’s Sahelian Strategy
By Modibo Goïta
February 28, 2011

Counterterrorism efforts among Sahelian governments remain uncoordinated and too narrowly focused to contain and confront AQIM’s long-term and sophisticated strategy in the region. To prevent AQIM from further consolidating its presence in the Sahel, regional policies must be harmonized and security forces refocused so as to minimize collateral impacts on local communities.

Region in Focus: The Sahel – Africa Center for Strategic Studies

A selection of Africa Center analysis of the ongoing security and development challenges in the Sahel, current responses, and priorities for the future.

africacenter.org

Region in Focus: The Sahel – Africa Center for Strategic Studies

A selection of Africa Center analysis of the ongoing security and development challenges in the Sahel, current responses, and priorities for the future.

africacenter.org

The West is doomed- unless it decides it wants to survive.
As regards your enemies. Identify, locate, terminate.
Simple as that- IF you want to live…

OA

 

[Housecarl]

Posted for fair use.....

Al-Qaeda Affiliate GSIM Condemns Alliance Of Sahel States (AES) For 'Crimes And Massacres' Against Sahel Civilians, International Community For Its Silence; Vows To Continue Jihad

Al-Qaeda's affiliate in the African Sahel GSIM published a statement regarding what it said were crimes by the Alliance of Sahel States against Muslims, accusing the international community of remaining silent.

www.memri.org

Al-Qaeda Affiliate GSIM Condemns Alliance Of Sahel States (AES) For 'Crimes And Massacres' Against Sahel Civilians, International Community For Its Silence; Vows To Continue Jihad​

Request Report
December 22, 2024


Posted for fair use.....

https://www.modernghana.com/news/1366957/ecowas-bloc-extends-six-month-grace-period-for.html#google_vignette

Ecowas bloc extends six-month grace period for departing Sahel states​

By Melissa Chemam with RFI

FRI, 20 DEC 2024

(Articles behind subscription walls. HC)

 

[Plain Jane]

Senegal says it's closing 'all foreign military bases,' a move aimed at French troops in the country

Senegal’s prime minister has announced the closure of “all foreign military bases” in the country, a statement essentially aimed at France, the African nation's former colonial ruler.

apnews.com

Senegal says it’s closing ‘all foreign military bases,’ a move aimed at French troops in the country​

By BABACAR DIONE and WILSON MCMAKIN
Updated 1:54 PM EST, December 27, 2024

DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — Senegal’s prime minister said on Friday that the government is closing “all foreign military bases,” an announcement essentially aimed at France, the West African nation’s former colonial power.

Although Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko did not specifically name French troops, no other foreign forces have military bases in Senegal.

France has suffered similar setbacks in several West African countries in recent years, including Chad, Niger and Burkina Faso, where French troops that have been on the ground for many years have been kicked out.

Sonko made the announcement during a general policy statement to the National Assembly, without providing a timeline for the exit of the French troops. It comes a month after Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye said there would soon be no more French soldiers on Senegalese soil.

“The President of the Republic has decided to close all foreign military bases in the very near future,” Sonko said.

France’s military and Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to the announcement.

A former colonial power in much of Africa, France has faced opposition from some African leaders over what they described as a demeaning and heavy-handed approach to the continent.

France, which has already left coup-hit countries of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, on Thursday confirmed it has handed over the first of several bases to Chad.


France’s permanent military presence in Chad ″no longer met the expectations and interests of each party,″ the military said, and called the withdrawal a part of a ″reconfiguration of its system in Africa″ since 2022.

Paris has said earlier that France aims to sharply reduce its presence at all its bases in Africa except Djibouti, including the 350 French troops who are in Senegal. It has said that it may instead provide defense training or targeted military support, based on needs expressed by those countries, according to the officials.


Senegal’s new government, which has been in power for less than a year, has taken a hard-line stance on the presence of French troops as part of a larger regional backlash against what many see as the legacy of an oppressive colonial empire.

 

[Plain Jane]

Mali seizes 3 tons of gold from Canadian company Barrick amid dispute over share of revenue

Mali’s military government has started seizing gold stocks of the Canadian mining company Barrick as part of a legal battle over the share of revenue owed to the West African state, according to an internal Barrick letter seen by The Associated Press.

apnews.com

Mali seizes 3 tons of gold from Canadian company Barrick amid dispute over share of revenue​

Barrick Gold Corporation President and CEO Mark Bristow visits the trading floor of the New York Stock Exchange after ringing the opening bell, Wednesday, Jan. 2, 2019. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)
Read More
By WILSON MCMAKIN and BABA AHMED
Updated 12:23 PM EST, January 13, 2025

DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — Mali’s military government has started seizing gold stocks of the Canadian mining company Barrick as part of a legal battle over the share of revenue owed to the West African state, according to an internal Barrick letter seen by The Associated Press.

The letter from CEO Mark Bristow to the Malian Mining Minister, dated Monday, says Barrick is “awaiting official confirmation of the proper receipt by the Malian Solidarity Bank,” a government entity.

The seizure follows a warning letter to Barrick earlier this month from Mali’s senior investigating judge, Boubacar Moussa Diarra, saying three tons of gold would be seized.

On Monday, a senior Barrick manager confirmed that three tons had been seized by the military government and placed in the capital, Bamako. The manager spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.

According to the senior manager, the gold was taken from a mine near Kayes in the west and transported by plane and truck to the capital late Saturday.

The Malian authorities did not immediately respond for comment.

Valued at around $180 million, the gold seizure is part of the dispute over revenues owed to the state.

In December, Mali issued an arrest warrant for Bristow for charges of money laundering, without giving evidence, and ordered the seizure of Barrick’s gold reserves. The company has offered to pay $370 million.



Mali’s military government previously arrested four senior executives of the Canadian mining company as part of the dispute. They are still being held.

Mali is one of Africa’s leading gold producers, but it has struggled for years with jihadi violence and high levels of poverty and hunger. The military seized power in 2020, and the government has placed foreign mining companies under growing pressure as it seeks to shore up revenues.


In November, the CEO of Australian company Resolute Mining and two employees were arrested in Bamako. They were released after the company paid $80 million to Malian authorities to resolve a tax dispute and promised to pay a further $80 million in the coming months.

___

Ahmed reported from Bamako, Mali.

___

This version corrects to say the four executives are still being held.

 

[jward]

Levan Gudadze
@GudadzeLevan

France is leaving Chad after more than a century of presence in the country

The French military began evacuating from Chad at the request of the country's government in December 2024. The contingent must finally leave by January 31. France operated three bases in the African state - in N'Djamena, Faya-Largeau and Abéché. In total, more than 1,000 troops were stationed there.

France's presence in Chad has lasted since 1900. The country's prime minister said that ending military cooperation with Paris was a "bold and patriotic decision" and that the people had long been waiting for it. In recent years, many former French colonies have demanded the withdrawal of foreign forces, in particular Mali and Niger.
rt<2m

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1879899496512991543

View: https://twitter.com/GudadzeLevan/status/1879899496512991543

 

[Plain Jane]

Fighting in Sudan's civil war sets ablaze the country's largest oil refinery, satellite photos show

Fighting around Sudan’s largest oil refinery has set the sprawling complex ablaze, sending thick, black smoke over the country’s capital, Khartoum.

apnews.com

Fighting in Sudan’s civil war sets ablaze the country’s largest oil refinery, satellite photos show​

1 of 2 |
This Planet Labs PBC satellite image shows a fire engulfing Sudan’s largest oil refinery north of Khartoum, Sudan, on Friday, Jan. 24, 2025. (Planet Labs PBC via AP)
Read More

2 of 2 |
This Planet Labs PBC satellite image shows Sudan’s largest oil refinery north of Khartoum, Sudan, on Oct. 27, 2024. (Planet Labs PBC via AP)

By JON GAMBRELL
Updated 3:26 AM EST, January 25, 2025

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Fighting around Sudan ‘s largest oil refinery set the sprawling complex ablaze, satellite data analyzed by The Associated Press on Saturday shows, sending thick, black smoke over the country’s capital.

Forces loyal to Sudan’s military under army chief Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan later claimed they captured the refinery, owned by Sudan’s government and the state-run China National Petroleum Corp. The facility represents a long-sought prize for the military in its civil war with the rebel Rapid Support Force.

International mediation attempts and pressure tactics, including a U.S. assessment that the RSF and its proxies are committing genocide, have not halted the fighting.

The al-Jaili refinery sits some 60 kilometers (40 miles) north of Khartoum, the capital. The refinery has been subject to previous attacks as the RSF has claimed control of the facility since April 2023 and their forces had been guarding it. Local Sudanese media report the RSF also surrounded the refinery with fields of landmines to slow any advance.

But the facility, capable of handling 100,000 barrels of oil a day, remained broadly intact until Thursday. On that day, an attack at the refinery set fires across the complex, according to satellite data from NASA satellites that track wildfires worldwide.


Satellite images taken by Planet Labs PBC on Friday for the AP showed vast areas of the refinery ablaze. The images, shot just after 1200 GMT, showed flames shooting up into the sky in several spots. Oil tanks at the facility stood burned, covered in soot.


Thick plumes of black smoke towered over the site, carried south toward Khartoum by the wind. Exposure to that smoke can exacerbate respiratory problems and raise cancer risks.

In a statement released Thursday, the Sudanese military alleged the RSF was responsible for the fire at the refinery.

The RSF “deliberately set fire to the Khartoum refinery in al-Jaili this morning in a desperate attempt to destroy the infrastructures of this country,” the statement read.

“This hateful behavior reveals the extent of the criminality and decadence of this militia ... (and) increases our determination to pursue it everywhere until we liberate every inch from their filth.”

The RSF for its part alleged Thursday night that Sudanese military aircraft dropped “barrel bombs” on the facility, “completely destroying it.” The RSF has claimed the Sudanese military uses old commercial cargo aircraft to drop barrel bombs, such as one that crashed under mysterious circumstances in October.

Neither the Sudanese military nor the RSF offered evidence to support their dueling allegations. But on Saturday, multiple videos emerged of Burhan’s forces claiming to have entered the refinery’s compound, the sound of heavy gunfire heard in the background.

Sudan’s military spokesman, Brig. Gen. Nabil Abdallah, also told the AP they had taken control of the refinery. The RSF did not immediately address the claim, nor another by Sudan’s military they had broken a monthslong siege on the Signal Corps headquarters in northern Khartoum.

China, Sudan’s largest trading partner before the war, has not acknowledged the blaze at the refinery. The Chinese Foreign Ministry did not respond to a request for comment.

China moved into Sudan’s oil industry after Chevron Corp. left in 1992 amid violence targeting oil workers in another civil war. South Sudan broke away to become its own country in 2011, taking 75% of what had been Sudan’s oil reserves with it.

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres “is following with great concern the recent escalation of fighting in Sudan” a statement from his office Friday said, specifically mentioning the oil refinery attack.

“The secretary-general urges the parties to refrain from all actions that could have dangerous consequences for Sudan and the region, including serious economic and environmental implications,” the statement said.

Losing the refinery would have a major effect on the economies of both Sudan and South Sudan.

“The destruction of the refinery would force the Sudanese people to rely on more expensive fuel imports,” warned Timothy Liptrot in an analysis for the Small Arms Survey in May 2024. “As the conflict progresses, a norm that exists among the RSF and (the Sudanese military) against damaging Sudan’s accumulated capital is breaking down, with permanent damage to Sudan’s refining infrastructure becoming increasingly possible.”

Sudan has been unstable since a popular uprising forced the removal of longtime dictator Omar al-Bashir in 2019. A short-lived transition to democracy was derailed when Burhan and Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo of the RSF joined forces to lead a military coup in October 2021.

Al-Bashir faces charges at the International Criminal Court over carrying out a genocidal campaign in the early 2000s in the western Darfur region with the Janjaweed, the precursor to the RSF. Rights groups and the U.N. say the RSF and allied Arab militias are again attacking ethnic African groups in this war.

The Biden administration also sanctioned Burhan in its last days over his forces’ “lethal attacks on civilians, including airstrikes against protected infrastructure including schools, markets and hospitals.” It also said Burhan’s troops were “responsible for the routine and intentional denial of humanitarian access, using food deprivation as a war tactic.”


The RSF and Sudan’s military began fighting each other in April 2023. Their conflict has killed more than 28,000 people, forced millions to flee their homes and left some families eating grass in a desperate attempt to survive as famine sweeps parts of the country.

Other estimates suggest a far higher death toll in the civil war.

___

Associated Press writer Samy Magdy in Cairo contributed to this report.

 

[Plain Jane]

3 coup-hit West African nations formally leave ECOWAS regional bloc

The three junta-led West African nations withdrawal is the culmination of a yearlong process during which the grouping tried to avert its unprecedented disintegration.

apnews.com

3 coup-hit West African nations formally leave ECOWAS regional bloc​

FILE -Members stand for the arrival of dignitaries at a joint press conference by African Union (AU) and Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) electoral observers in Abuja, Nigeria, Feb. 27, 2023. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis, File)
Read More
By CHINEDU ASADU
Updated 3:06 AM EST, January 29, 2025

ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — The junta-led West African nations of Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso have formally withdrawn from the regional bloc known as ECOWAS, the body said Wednesday, the culmination of a yearlong process during which the group tried to avert an unprecedented disintegration.

The withdrawal of the three countries, first announced a year ago, “has become effective today,” ECOWAS said in a statement. The bloc, however, said that it has also decided to “keep ECOWAS’ doors open,” requesting member nations to continue to accord the trio of nations membership privileges, including free movement within the region with an ECOWAS passport.

Widely seen as West Africa’s top political and regional authority, the 15-nation ECOWAS was formed in 1975 to “promote economic integration” in member states. It has struggled in recent years to reverse rampant coups in the region where citizens have complained of not benefitting from rich natural resources.

The bloc has since grown to become the region’s top political authority, often collaborating with states to solve domestic challenges on various fronts from politics to economics and security.

In parts of West Africa, however, ECOWAS has lost its effectiveness and support among citizens, who see it as representing only the interests of the leaders and not that of the masses, said Oge Onubogu, director of the Africa Program at the Washington-based Wilson Center think tank.

After coming into power, the juntas in Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso announced that they were leaving ECOWAS, and they created their own security partnership, the Alliance of Sahel States, in September.

It’s the first time in the bloc’s half-century of existence that its members have withdrawn in such a manner. Analysts say it’s an unprecedented blow to the group that could threaten efforts to return democracy and help stabilize the increasingly fragile region.

ECOWAS said that its members were also required to treat goods and services coming from the three countries in according with ECOWAS regulations and provide full support and cooperation to ECOWAS officials from the countries during their assignments.

 

[Housecarl]

Posted for fair use.....

Sudan civil war: Army advances as it seek to recapture Khartoum

"Shrapnel and stray ammunition are falling on my neighbourhood," a doctor tells the BBC.

www.bbc.com

Sudan army makes huge gains as it seeks to recapture war-torn capital​

10 hours ago
Mohanad Hashim & Natasha Booty
BBC News

Residents of Sudan's capital Khartoum say the army has recaptured large parts of the city from RSF paramilitaries, marking its biggest victory in a year.

"Shrapnel and stray ammunition are falling on my neighbourhood," a doctor we are calling Mustafa tells the BBC. "The clashes these days are heavy".

Key sites recaptured by the army this week include the mint – where money is printed.

At the time of writing, the RSF still controls most of Khartoum proper. Whereas the army now holds the majority of territory across the wider tripartite capital - meaning Omdurman, Bahri and Khartoum.

But, after winning back near total control of the crucial state of Gezira, the army believes it now has the momentum to take the capital too, and break the RSF's almost two-year siege.

"Very soon there will be no rebels in Khartoum," announced army leader and de facto ruler Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan on Tuesday.

An end to this conflict cannot come fast enough.

Aid workers say people are starving across the country as a result of the war – in Khartoum alone more than 100,000 people are suffering from famine, according to UN-backed researchers.

Since war broke out almost two years ago between Gen Burhan and his deputy-turned-rival Mohamed Hamdan "Hemedti" Dagalo who leads the RSF, 12 million people have been forced from their homes and tens of thousands of civilians have been butchered.

Sudan is the world's worst humanitarian crisis, agree international aid agencies.

They say both the army and the RSF are guilty of committing some of the gravest atrocities imaginable against innocent civilians, including that the RSF has carried out a genocide in Darfur.

Both forces deny the accusations.

• A simple guide to the Sudan war
• 'They ransacked my home and left my town in ruins'
• Burhan and Hemedti - the two generals at the heart of the conflict

The army has been jubilantly welcomed by many inhabitants of the areas it has recently recaptured, as the RSF has been widely accused of killing and raping civilians in Khartoum, as well as looting the homes of the many residents who have fled the city.

Reports of the army's advance have been dismissed by the RSF as "lies and rumours". They have made similar denials ahead of every retreat in recent weeks.

Analysts say the army's recent successes have been the result of enlisting more fighters and buying more weaponry. Winning back the besieged army headquarters was also a huge boon earlier this month.

The army's expulsion of the paramilitary group from the central city of Wad Madani in January was marred by allegations of summary executions and arbitrary retribution attacks on those perceived to be RSF informants or collaborators.

This will no doubt raise fears among some Khartoum residents that the same fate awaits them.

"When you open social media and you see all the killing, if you've committed something wrong you must be worried," Mustafa told the BBC.

"Some of them led fighters to people's homes. Others joined [the RSF] and stole property, terrorised people - even held women against their will [as sex slaves]. They did horrible things.

"Are they terrified of what is to come? Of course."

But sometimes there is a fine line between being seen as a collaborator, and the reality of survival in war.

"I am worried for my cousin," says Amir, who lives in Khartoum's twin city of Omdurman, which lies just across the River Nile.

"He is not a collaborator or an informant - he often has to deal with these people [the RSF] because he's looking after his mother and his kids. Will he be slaughtered [by the army] or will he be left alone?"

For now, as the army approaches and Sudan's future hands in the balance, all that Mustafa and Amir can do is wait.
Some names have been changed in this report for reasons of safety

More BBC stories on Sudan:​

• David Lammy 'horrified' after meeting Sudan war victims face-to-face
• BBC hears of horror and hunger in rare visit to Darfur massacre town
• Curfew and deaths in South Sudan after revenge attacks on Sudanese
• US accuses RSF of Sudan genocide and sanctions its leader

 

[Plain Jane]

Attacks by Sudanese RSF paramilitaries leave hundreds dead in White Nile State

Sudanese officials and rights groups say attacks by the paramilitary Rapid Support Force have killed hundreds of civilians, including infants, in White Nile state.

apnews.com

Attacks by Sudanese RSF paramilitaries leave hundreds dead in White Nile State​

This is a locator map for Sudan with its capital, Khartoum. (AP Photo)
By FATMA KHALED
Updated 11:26 AM EST, February 18, 2025

CAIRO (AP) — Attacks by Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Force have killed hundreds of civilians, including infants, in White Nile state, Sudanese officials and rights groups said Tuesday.

Sudan’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the paramilitary group targeted civilians in the past few days in villages in the al-Gitaina area after they were “overwhelmed by its devastating defeat” by the Sudanese army. The statement put the death toll at 433, while the Preliminary Committee of Sudan Doctors’ Trade Union put that figure at 300.

Emergency Lawyers, a rights group tracking violence against civilians, said in a statement Tuesday morning that more than 200 people, including women and children, were killed in RSF attacks and hundreds of others were injured over the past three days.

“The attacks included executions, kidnapping, forced disappearance, looting, and shooting those trying to escape,” the group said.

Minister of Culture and Information Khalid Ali Aleisir said on Facebook that recent attacks by the RSF in Al-Kadaris and Al-Khalwat villages in White Nile state are the latest “systematic violence against defenseless civilians.”

The Sudanese military said Saturday it had advanced in White Nile and “liberated more cities and villages,” cutting crucial supply routes to the RSF, a rival group it has battled for control of the country since April 2023.

The war in Sudan has killed more than 24,000 people and driven over 14 million people — about 30% of the population — from their homes, according to the United Nations. An estimated 3.2 million Sudanese have escaped to neighboring countries.

The U.N. on Tuesday said that throughout 2024, its human rights office documented more than 4,200 civilian killings, adding that the total number is likely much higher.

The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs appealed on Monday for $6 billion for its 2025 humanitarian response in Sudan, to help about 21 million people in the country and the millions who fled the war abroad.

“This is a humanitarian crisis that is truly unprecedented in its scale and gravity,” said UN aid chief Tom Fletcher in a statement, “and it demands a response unprecedented in scale and intent.”
Meanwhile, Norway’s Minister of International Development Åsmund Aukrust denounced the escalation in violence and attacks against civilians.

“I am deeply concerned about the sharp increase in civilian deaths caused by the intensified conflict in Sudan. I am also shocked by reports of indiscriminate attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure. Any such attacks must stop immediately,” Aukrust said in a statement published on the web portal for the Norwegian Government.

The developments on the ground have given the military the upper hand in the war as the paramilitary suffered multiple blows, including losing control of the city of Wad Medani, the capital of Gezira province, and other areas in the province. The Sudanese military also regained control of the country’s largest oil refinery.

The RSF appears to have lost control of the Greater Khartoum area and the cities of Omdurman and Khartoum Bahri.

The war has shown no end in sight despite international mediation attempts, including a U.S. assessment that the RSF and its proxies are committing genocide.

 

[jward]

Ulf Laessing
@UlfLaessing

Sharing my observations from last week’s visit to Burkina Faso, the Sahel country most hit by jihadist violence. It’s the place Russia is focusing on with soft power and a test for the West whether to do realpolitik as the country is key to stop a spillover to West African coast

1.Burkina is in a desperate situation with jihadists effectively controlling swaths of the north, east and south – the southern border forests are launchpad for jihadists towards the Gulf of Guinea. That’s why Togo, Benin and other ECOWAS members cooperate with Ouaga.
2. Some diplomats and locals claim that the military campaign shows some improvements in the center with the road to Bobo-Dioulasso and from there to Mali being seemingly safer now. Hard to confirm but it's fair to say Ouaga won't fall. But the north, east and south look grim
3. Burkina has been Russia's soft power Sahel focus and also seen the deployment of the Africa Corps (for example at a barracks outside Ouaga). Yet like during my last visit to Niger I find Russia's role overrated. There were less obvious signs this time such as Russian flags.
4. Bigger winners of Europe's retreat are Turkey and China. The Turks selling drones, doing training, soft power and Turkish Airlines filling the gap from banned Air France. Chinese are among the top visa applications, I learned at our seminar on migration issues
5. Europe ? Some EU members have left (Denmark). Germany, Belgium, Netherlands, Italy are there with some doing development work. The new EU Sahel envoy @JoaoCravinho visited last week which is a good sign. We also keep doing small seminars
6. Interestingly, German language courses at the Goethe Institute are booming as German companies recruit for qualified and trainee positions they can’t fill at home amid an aging population. A legal route which might deter some to try the Libya or Canary Islands route
7. Government popularity. Hard to measure but like in Mali and Niger nobody wants the old elites back. During president’s speeches people obviously cheer but most cheers are for "pan-Africanism" (no surprise) and calls to dismantle a hated and corrupt justice system
8. There is obviously no shortage of criticism of suppression of dissent from rights groups but I also met Burkina which I know a long time and which support the military government (others don’t)
9 Given the geographic importance of Burkina as launchpad for jihadists (lurking in the southern border forests) to the coast the country is a test case for much realpolitik Europe is willing to do. The USAID suspension is being felt and China and Turkey might step in even more

 

[Plain Jane]

Heavy fighting in Sudan forces Doctors Without Borders to stop aid at a camp with 500,000 people

Doctors Without Borders has suspended all its work at the Zamzam camp in Sudan, where around 500,000 people live seeking safety from the nation's civil war.

apnews.com

Heavy fighting in Sudan forces Doctors Without Borders to stop aid at a camp with 500,000 people​

By ASSOCIATED PRESS
Updated 8:07 PM EST, February 24, 2025

CAIRO (AP) — Doctors Without Borders on Monday halted its operations in Sudan’s famine-stricken Zamzam camp due to an escalation of attacks and fighting in the vicinity.

The international medical aid group, also known by its French name Médecins Sans Frontières and acronym MSF, said fighting between the Sudanese military and its rival paramilitary the Rapid Support Forces intensified in the camp in North Darfur.

The escalation made it “impossible” for the group to provide lifesaving humanitarian help to thousands of displaced people, it said in a statement, adding it had suspended all activities in Zamzam, including at its field hospital.

“Halting our project in the midst of a worsening disaster in Zamzam is a heartbreaking decision,” said Yahya Kalilah, the group’s head of mission in Sudan.

Kalilah said that being close to violence, experiencing great difficulty in sending supplies, dealing with the “impossibility” of sending experienced staff, and the uncertainty around routes out of the camp, left MSF with “little choice.”

Sudan plunged into a civil war in April 2023 when fighting erupted between the military and the RSF. The conflict has killed more than 24,000 people, forced over 14 million people out of their homes and created famine in various parts of the country.

The fighting in Zamzam ramped up on Feb. 11-12, according to the MSF. The field hospital received 130 wounded patients, most suffering from gunshot and shrapnel wounds.


The MSF facility in Zamzam can’t provide trauma surgery for those in critical condition as it was originally established to address the significant malnutrition crisis unfolding in the camp.

Kalilah said that 11 patients died in the hospital, including five children, because staff couldn’t treat them properly or refer them to the hospital in El Fasher, the regional capital. Access to water and food in the area has been more compromised because of the fighting, according to the MSF. The central market has been looted and burned.

Zamzam camp hosts around 500,000 people and has seen displaced families newly arriving from the areas of Abu Zerega, Shagra, and Saluma, who told MSF teams of abuses in villages and roads in the El Fasher locality that include killings, sexual violence, lootings and beatings.

“In January and December, two of our ambulances carrying patients from the camp to El Fasher were shot at,” Kalilah said. “Now it’s even more dangerous and as a result, many people, including patients requiring trauma surgery or emergency caesarean sections, are trapped in Zamzam.”

 

[jward]

Open Source Intel
@Osint613

BREAKING: HOUTHIS JUST PUT ON NOTICE

Trump Rolls Back Airstrike & Raid Restrictions

Trump has loosened constraints on U.S. commanders, allowing more autonomy in authorizing airstrikes and special operations raids. This reverses Biden-era policies and marks a return to Trump’s aggressive counterterrorism strategy.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth recently signed a directive easing executive oversight, giving military leaders greater latitude to target threats. The move accelerates strikes but raises risks of civilian casualties.

Potential targets include Al-Shabaab in Somalia and the Houthis in Yemen. The directive follows Pentagon firings, with Hegseth stressing the need to remove “roadblocks to orders given by a commander-in-chief.”

 

[Plain Jane]

ZeroHedge

ZeroHedge - On a long enough timeline, the survival rate for everyone drops to zero

www.zerohedge.com

Key Coca-Cola & Pepsi Ingredient 'Controlled By RSF Paramilitary In Sudan'​

by Tyler Durden
Thursday, Mar 20, 2025 - 05:00 AM
Via Middle East Eye
Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) is currently controlling access to a vital ingredient used in Coca-Cola and Pepsi across vast swathes of the country, according to a new report.

Gum arabic, an organic emulsifier derived from the sap of the acacia trees, is a major ingredient in a range of products, including the gigantic soft drink brands as well as soap, medicine, sweets and cosmetics. Around 70 percent of the world's supply comes from Sudan, where the trees grow in a 200,000 square mile belt across the south of the country that is largely controlled by the RSF, according to Bloomberg.





Hisham Salih Yagoub, whose company Afritec is one of Sudan's biggest international suppliers, told the news outlet that he regularly pays the RSF $2,500 per truck to allow transport of the product to the country's ports.

"They stop the trucks and you have to pay for the trucks to move," he said. "They either steal some of it or they make you pay."

Since April 2023, Sudan has been embroiled in a brutal civil war between the RSF and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF). The country has fallen into a humanitarian crisis, with 12.5 million Sudanese displaced from their homes, according to UNHCR. Thousands are estimated to have been killed.

The RSF has been accused of widespread sexual assault, looting, torture and the summary execution of civilians, while the SAF has also been censured for indiscriminate bombing campaigns.

According to documents acquired by Bloomberg, the SAF has also introduced a range of fees that amount to roughly $155 per 100kg of gum arabic being sent out of Port Sudan, meaning any transportation of gum arabic out of the country likely involves payment to groups accused of war crimes.

Bloomberg said it did not receive a response to inquires put to Coca-Cola, PepsiCo and Danone over the gum arabic controversy.

Nestle said it was "committed to sourcing all our commodities in a responsible way, and in line with applicable regulatory requirements," while Mars said it did it not tolerate bribery or corruption and was "actively engaging with our suppliers regarding the deeply concerning situation in Sudan and we remain prepared to take any appropriate action if we find any violation of our policies."

Sudan's gum arabic belt covers hundreds of thousands of square kilometers...




Coca-Cola and Pepsi have recently also faced a widespread boycott in the Middle East over the US role in supporting Israel's assault on the Gaza Strip, as well as the former's reported factory in the illegal West Bank settlement of Atarot.

According to market researcher NielsenIQ, western soft drink brands suffered a 7 percent sales decline in the first half of 2024 across the Middle East.

 

[Plain Jane]

What could happen next in Sudan's civil war

The war in Sudan appears to be reaching a critical juncture after nearly two years of fighting that has killed tens of thousands, driven millions from their homes and spread famine.

apnews.com

What could happen next in Sudan’s civil war​

By FATMA KHALED and SAMY MAGDY
Updated 12:38 PM EDT, March 21, 2025


CAIRO (AP) — The war in Sudan appears to be reaching a critical juncture after nearly two years of fighting that has killed tens of thousands of people, driven millions from their homes and spread famine.

In recent months, the military has been making steady advances against its rival, the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, and it says it has wrested back control of the capital of Khartoum, including the iconic Republican Palace, traditionally the seat of the country’s president and government. A politician associated with the RSF acknowledged the loss, though the RSF later said its troops were still in the area and fighting.

While the war is unlikely to end soon, here is a look at what the developments could mean.

What’s happening on the ground?​

The war erupted in April 2023 between the military and the RSF with battles in Khartoum and around the country. The leaders of the two forces had been allies who were meant to have overseen the democratic transition after a popular uprising in 2019, but instead worked together to thwart a return to civilian rule.

However, tensions exploded into a bloody fight for power.

Since then, at least 28,000 people have been killed, though the number is likely far higher. The war has driven more than 14 million people from their homes and pushed parts of the country into famine.

Will this end the war?​

The military victory in Khartoum likely just moves the war into a new chapter, creating a de facto partition of Sudan into military- and RSF-run zones.

Military chief Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan has shown no sign of engaging in serious peace talks. The RSF, headed by Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, has seemed to be determined to keep fighting.

The RSF still holds much of western Sudan, particularly most of the Darfur region.

Also, Khartoum International Airport, only some 2.5 kilometers (1.5 miles) southeast of the republican Palace, has been held by the RSF since the start of the war.

The advances in Khartoum may cause strains to break open in the military’s coalition. The military has been backed by a collection of armed factions — including former Darfur rebels and Islamist brigades — that are historic rivals united only by the goal of fighting the RSF.

What is the significance of the RSF recently creating a ‘parallel government’?​

The RSF and its allies signed a charter in February in Kenya’s capital, Nairobi, establishing a parallel government.

Burhan also has spoken of setting up a transitional government, raising the potential for two rival administrations jockeying for support as their forces battle — entrenching Sudan’s effective partition.

The RSF’s 16-page charter calls for “a secular, democratic and decentralized state,” maintaining what it called Sudan’s “voluntary integrity of its territory and peoples” — a nod to Sudan’s many communities demanding autonomy from Khartoum.

The RSF grew out of the notorious Janjaweed militias, mobilized two decades ago by then-president Omar al-Bashir against populations that identify as Central or East African in Darfur. The Janjaweed were accused of mass killings, rapes and other atrocities.

In the current war, the RSF has been accused of numerous atrocities. The Biden administration slapped Dagalo with sanctions, saying the RSF and its proxies were committing genocide. The RSF has denied committing genocide.

The military has also been accused of abuses and denies that.

 

[Plain Jane]

The Sahel: Emerging Center Of Global Islamism | ZeroHedge

ZeroHedge - On a long enough timeline, the survival rate for everyone drops to zero

www.zerohedge.com

The Sahel: Emerging Center Of Global Islamism​

by Tyler Durden
Friday, Apr 11, 2025 - 10:35 PM
Authored by Nils Haug via The Gatestone Institute,
The center of world terrorist activity and violent death is no longer the Middle East. The "Sahel region of Africa is now the 'epicentre of global terrorism,'" responsible for "over half of all terrorism-related deaths" worldwide, according to the respected Global Terrorism Index.

The sub-Saharan Sahel is largely unknown to much of the world. It can be described as the large, mostly flat, strip, nearly 600 miles wide, located between the savannahs of Sudan to the south and the Sahara desert to the north.

During the last ten years or so, according to the Royal United Services Institute, the world's oldest defense and security think tank, headquartered in London, the Sahel has undergone a "significant surge in jihadist violence. Armed actors take advantage of porous borders, fragile states, and local grievances to extend their operational reach,"

Global Terrorism Index 2025, published by the Institute for Economics & Peace, reveals that the primary instigator of global terrorism during 2024 was the Islamic State (ISIS) and associated groups -- such as al Qaeda, Jamaat Nusrat Al-Islam wal Muslimeen, Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, and al- Shabaab -- together responsible for more than 7,500 deaths.

Although the West is experiencing escalating terrorism in countries such as Sweden, Australia, Finland, the Netherlands, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland, the Sahel region evidently remains the "global epicentre of terrorism, accounting for over half of all terrorism-related deaths in 2024."

Here, conflict deaths exceeded 25,000 for the first time, of which nearly 4,000 were directly connected to terrorism.

A perturbing factor is that in Europe, "one in five persons arrested for terrorism is legally classified as a child." This is understandable, as children in Islamist-jihadist communities are exposed to Jew-hatred and the desire for an Islamist caliphate from a very tender age. The same statistics would apply to terrorist actors in the Sahel, as the ideology of martyrdom and sacrifice is ubiquitous to jihadism.

Susceptible countries in the region include Senegal, Sudan, Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali. Unsurprisingly, the region's rich mineral resources – with Niger the world's seventh-biggest producer of uranium -- also attract attention. China and Russia are increasingly represented, while Western nations withdraw from Africa due to growing anti-Western attitudes. Specifically, the US base in Niger in August 2024 and France's base in Chad closed in December 2024.

The consequence is, of course, that with the West's retreat, ISIS has free rein to action their visions of global influence.

They are present in 22 countries at present and, as the report points out: "Despite counterterrorism efforts, the group's ability to coordinate, inspire, and execute attacks highlights its resilience and evolving operational strategies." In the remoteness of the Sahel, ISIS finds an accommodating environment to consolidate and establish a central base.

Russia's Wagner mercenary militia, although rebranded as an "Expeditionary Corps," continues its predatory activities in the area, offering "governments in Africa a 'regime survival package' in exchange for access to strategically important natural resources."

Covertly obtained Russian documents reveal how the group strives to "change mining laws in West Africa, with the ambition of dislodging Western companies from an area of strategic importance." The upshot is accelerating anti-Western sentiment, resulting in the local states seeking to expel hitherto entrenched foreign interests.

A February 20, 2024, report by Jack Watling, Fellow for Land Warfare at the Royal United Services Institute, explains that there "was a meeting in the Kremlin in which it was decided that Wagner's Africa operations would fall directly under the control of Russian military intelligence, the GRU."

Watling concludes, "This is the Russian state coming out of the shadows in its Africa policy." Russia's patent objective is therefore to "seize control of critical resources," and "aggressively pursue the expansion of its partnerships in Africa, with the explicit intent to supplant Western partnerships."

Unlike the West, Russia is not particularly interested in countering terror groups such as ISIS but, instead, focuses on its core objectives concerning "critical resources" and replacing "Western partnership" in the Sahel. With the retreat of Western anti-terror forces, ISIS and associates have freedom to expand their activities, while Russia focuses on eliminating Western influence. The result is a vacuum of experienced Western counter-terror forces, a situation in which jihadist groups thrive.

Fortunately, North African nations, such as Morocco and Algeria, realize the dangers of unchecked jihadism in the Sahel, which reaches towards their southern borders. To give effect to its objectives, Rabat implemented the Morocco Atlantic Initiative, which,

"aims to provide landlocked Sahel countries with access to vital maritime trade routes via Morocco's Atlantic port infrastructure. The plan aims to foster economic regional integration to reduce dependence on unstable transit routes, while fostering Morocco's ties with its southern neighbours to counter instability, terrorism and illicit trafficking in the region in the long term."

Similarly, Algeria, with its common "borders and historical ties to Mali, has always played a pivotal role in the region."

In addition, some Sahel states are taking it upon themselves to counter jihadists in their domain. Recently, an alliance of three prominent Sahel states -- Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger -- "unveiled plans for a unified military force of 5,000 soldiers."

"Each of the three AES armies are expected to contribute troops, tasked with conducting joint operations in areas of intense jihadist activity. In their view, establishing a self-sufficient military partnership is the most dependable way to safeguard sovereignty."

This local move came about as a lack of available Western forces to quell jihadism - an absence brought about by the Sahel nations "severing long-standing military and diplomatic ties with regional allies, France, and other Western powers." In 2024, the three Sahel nations agreed "to tackle security threats jointly."

Although a joint force of 5,000 soldiers is a fair starting point, it is to be noted that the region under discussion covers over 2 million square miles – a vast area. It is anticipated that Russia, China and Turkey, who already provide "bilateral military assistance and equipment" might partner, to some degree, with the Sahel forces to counter terrorism.

Meanwhile, ISIS and al-Qaeda, with associates, extend "greater influence over trans-Saharan networks which will expand their external reach and increase the threat of external plots in North Africa and potentially Europe."

In the result, the Sahel predominantly remains the locale of non-Western actors and local states, acting together for mutual benefit, including the possible control of terrorism. Whether or not efforts by these parties, with some North African countries, will have much impact on jihadism activity in the region remains to be seen. Currently, the significant strategic, political, and economic benefits in the region are reaped by Russia, China and Turkey. The West is nowhere to be seen.

 

[Plain Jane]

Thousands rally in Burkina Faso in support of military junta following alleged coup attempt

Thousands of people rallied in Burkina Faso’s capital Ouagadougou on Wednesday in support of the military junta after an alleged coup attempt and comments by an American official criticizing junta leader Ibrahim Traore.

apnews.com

Thousands rally in Burkina Faso in support of military junta following alleged coup attempt​

By MARK BANCHEREAU
Updated 4:13 PM EDT, April 30, 2025
Share

​

DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — Thousands of people rallied in Burkina Faso’s capital Ouagadougou on Wednesday in support of the military junta after an alleged coup attempt and comments by an American official criticizing junta leader Ibrahim Traore.

Last week, the West African country’s military government said it foiled a “major plot” to overthrow junta leader Capt. Ibrahim Traore, with the army alleging the plotters were based in neighboring Ivory Coast.

Earlier this month, Gen. Michael Langley, the head of U.S. military in Africa, accused Traore during a U.S. Senate committee hearing of using Burkina Faso’s gold reserves to benefit the junta at the expense of the population.

Crowds of protesters gathered at the Place de la Revolution in Ouagadougou on Wednesday, chanting “Long live Captain Traore!” with some holding banners showing a photo of Gen. Langley with the word “slave” written on his head with red marker. Others waved Burkina Faso and Russia’s flag, a close ally of the West African country.


Ocibi Johann, a musician who came to the protest, said he is not surprised at the accusations launched by Langley. “Because Colin Powell lied, Iraq was destroyed. Barack Obama lied, Gaddafi was killed. But this time, their lies won’t affect us. That’s why we tell them – we’re not against them – but we are against predation and economic slavery,” he said.

Until last year, the U.S. had military bases in neighboring Niger as part of its counterterrorism work in the Sahel, an arid strip of land south of the Sahara, but withdrew after the West African nation ended the military agreement between the two countries.



Burkina Faso, along with its neighbors Niger and Mali, has for over a decade battled an insurgency fought by jihadi groups, including some allied with al-Qaida and the Islamic State group.

Following military coups in all three nations in recent years, the ruling juntas severed military ties with longstanding Western partners such as the U.S. and France, and turned to Russia for military support.

Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger created their own security partnership, known as the Alliance of Sahel States, in 2023.

Following a September 2022 coup, Capt. Ibrahim Traore was named the transitional president of Burkina Faso and promised to bring security and prosperity to the West African nation, capturing the hearts and minds of many young people in his country and around the world.

Sekou Ansumariam Dukaly, one of the protester, said he came to Burkina Faso all the way from Liberia.

“I came to Ouagadougou today to participate in this demonstration in support of Captain Ibrahim Traore, because he represents hope for Africa, hope for Black people, hope for all freedom fighters around the globe,” he said.

However, since its inception, the junta has struggled to end Burkina Faso’s security challenges — the very reason that it said prompted it to take over power in 2022. According to conservative estimates, more than 60% of the country is now outside of government control, more than 2.1 million people have lost their homes and almost 6.5 million need humanitarian aid to survive.

Meanwhile, human rights group say the country’s armed forces and militias have committed widespread abuses during counterinsurgency operations, including unlawful killings of civilians accused of supporting Islamist fighters.


It it impossible to get an accurate picture of the situation in the country since the military leadership has installed a system of de facto censorship, rights groups said, and those daring to speak up can be openly abducted, imprisoned or forcefully drafted into the army.

 

[jward]

tehrantimes.com
Iran, Niger sign joint cooperation agreement

---

TEHRAN – Iran and Niger signed a joint cooperation agreement during the third meeting of their Joint Economic Committee, held on the sidelines of the Iran Expo 2025.

According to Iran’s Trade Promotion Organization (TPO), the event took place at the Persian Gulf Pearl Hall in Tehran and was attended by Iranian Industry, Mining and Trade Minister Seyed Mohammad Atabak, Trade Promotion Organization chief Mohammad Ali Dehghan Dehnavi, and Nigerien Petroleum Minister Sahabi Oumarou.

“This committee has resumed after a 13-year hiatus, and we hope the joint cooperation agreement will help elevate the level of economic relations between the two countries,” Atabak said at the opening of the meeting.

He pointed to the currently low volume of trade between Iran and Niger, stressing that the Trade Promotion Organization is responsible for following up on and implementing the provisions of the agreement. He also called on Niger to assign a designated organization to oversee the execution of the accord.

Dehghan Dehnavi said experts from both sides had held extensive talks over the past two days to finalize the agreement. “Various aspects of cooperation were reviewed and discussed, and the experts agreed to continue bilateral ties across multiple sectors,” he noted.

He added that the agreement covers mining, energy, industry, and technology transfer. “A joint task force will follow up on the specific topics outlined in the agreement,” he said.

The deputy minister also emphasized that the agreement marks a new chapter in Iran-Niger economic and trade relations, adding that additional documents will be prepared by experts for the next round of the committee.

Niger’s petroleum minister, Sahabi Oumarou, stressed the need for both sides to promote market potential and trade opportunities. “Current trade levels are below what is needed, and improving them will require effort from both countries,” he said.

The joint agreement was officially signed by the two ministers at the close of the meeting.

EF/MA

Photo: Iranian Industry, Mining and Trade Minister Seyed Mohammad Atabak (R) and Nigerien Petroleum Minister Sahabi Oumarou shake hand after signing an MOU in Tehran on Tuesday, April 29.

Iran, Niger sign joint cooperation agreement

TEHRAN – Iran and Niger signed a joint cooperation agreement during the third meeting of their Joint Economic Committee, held on the sidelines of the Iran Expo 2025.

www.tehrantimes.com

 

[Plain Jane]

TEHRAN – Iran and Niger signed a joint cooperation agreement during the third meeting of their Joint Economic Committee, held on the sidelines of the Iran Expo 2025.

This could explain the increased sanctions on Iran.

 

[Plain Jane]

Sudan's Rapid Support Forces paramilitary claims it took control of a strategic western town

Sudan’s notorious paramilitary group has claimed a “sweeping victory” saying it took control of the key town of Al Nahud in West Kordofan state in a fight that intensified a day earlier.

apnews.com

Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces paramilitary claims it took control of a strategic western town​

Updated 4:07 PM EDT, May 2, 2025
Share

​

CAIRO (AP) — Sudan’s notorious paramilitary group claimed a “sweeping victory” Friday saying it took control of the key town of Al Nahud in West Kordofan state in a fight that intensified a day earlier.

A victory there by the Rapid Support Forces, or RSF, would mark a strategic loss for Sudan’s military in its war with the paramilitary force as the territory is home to the headquarters of the 18th Infantry Brigade.

The Sudanese army didn’t immediately comment on its social media channels on whether it lost Al Nahud to its rival.

Sudan’s Culture and Information Minister Khalid Ali Aleisir said on his Facebook account on Friday the RSF committed crimes against defenseless citizens in the town, looting their properties and destroying public facilities.

The RSF said on its Telegram channel Friday that it destroyed vehicles belonging to the army and seized their weapons and ammunition during the battle for Al Nahud. The paramilitary group also claimed that it managed to secure the city’s facilities and markets after defeating the army.

The war erupted on April 15, 2023, with pitched battles between the military and the RSF in the streets of the capital Khartoum that quickly spread to other parts of the country.

RSF attacks in Al Nahud have killed more than 300 unarmed civilians, the Preliminary Committee of Sudan Doctors’ Trade Union said on Facebook on Friday. The Associated Press couldn’t independently verify that figure.

The Resistance Committees of Al Nahud condemned the RSF attacks, which it said began Thursday morning.

“They invaded the city, stormed residential neighborhoods, terrorized unarmed civilians, and committed cold-blooded murders against innocent civilians whose only crime was to cling to their dignity and refuse to leave their homes to the machine of killing and terror,” the Resistance Committees said Thursday on Facebook.

An army loss of Al Nahud would impact its operational capabilities in Northern Kordofan state, according to the Sudan War Monitor, an open source collaborative project that has been documenting the two-year-war. Al Nahud is a strategic town because it’s located along a main road that the army could use to advance into the Darfur region, which the RSF mostly controls.

Al Nahud also shelters displaced people fleeing from Al-Obeid, Umm Kadada, Khartoum and El-Fasher — the provincial capital of North Darfur province, according to the Darfur Victims Support Organization.

Meanwhile, in North Darfur, the fighting has killed at least 542 people in the last three weeks, though the actual death toll is likely higher, according to U.N. Human Rights Chief Volker Türk. This figure includes the recent RSF attacks on El Fasher and Abu Shouk displacement camp, which killed at least 40 civilians.

“The horror unfolding in Sudan knows no bounds,” said Türk i n a statement on Thursday.

Türk also mentioned “extremely disturbing” reports of extrajudicial killings committed by RSF, with at least 30 men in civilian clothing executed by the paramilitary fighters in Al Salha in southern Omdurman.

“I have personally alerted both leaders of the RSF and SAF to the catastrophic human rights consequences of this war. These harrowing consequences are a daily, lived reality for millions of Sudanese. It is well past time for this conflict to stop,” said Türk.
The war in Sudan has killed at least 20,000 people, but the real toll is probably far higher. Nearly 13 million people have fled their homes, 4 million of them streaming into neighboring countries.

Half the population of 50 million faces hunger. The World Food Program has confirmed famine in 10 locations and warns it could spread further, putting millions at risk of starvation.

 

[Plain Jane]

‘The janjaweed are coming’: Sudanese recount atrocities in RSF attack on a Darfur camp

Sudan's notorious paramilitary Rapid Support Forces and its allied militias have rampaged through the country's largest camp for displaced people in Darfur.

apnews.com

‘The janjaweed are coming’: Sudanese recount atrocities in RSF attack on a Darfur camp​

By SAMY MAGDY
Updated 10:04 AM EDT, May 3, 2025
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CAIRO (AP) — Umm al-Kheir Bakheit was 13 when she arrived at Zamzam Camp in the early 2000s, fleeing the janjaweed, the infamous Arab militias terrorizing Sudan’s Darfur region. She grew up, married and had three children in the camp.

Now 31, Bakheit fled Zamzam as the janjaweed’s descendants — a paramilitary force called the Rapid Support Forces — stormed into the camp and went on a three-day rampage, killing at least 400 people, after months of starving its population with a siege.

Bakheit and a dozen other residents and aid workers told The Associated Press that RSF fighters gunned down men and women in the streets, beat and tortured others and raped and sexually assaulted women and girls.

The April 11 attack was the worst ever suffered by Zamzam, Sudan’s largest displacement camp, in its 20 years of existence. Once home to some 500,000 residents, the camp has been virtually emptied. The paramilitaries burned down large swaths of houses, markets and other buildings.

“It’s a nightmare come true,” Bakheit said. “They attacked mercilessly.”

Months of famine​

The attack on Zamzam underscored that atrocities have not ended in Sudan’s 2-year-old war, even as the RSF has suffered heavy setbacks, losing ground recently to the military in other parts of the country.

Throughout the war, the RSF has been accused by residents and rights groups of mass killings and rapes in attacks on towns and cities, particularly in Darfur. Many of RSF’s fighters originated from the janjaweed, who became notorious for atrocities in the early 2000s against people identifying as East or Central African in Darfur.


“Targeting civilians and using rape as a war weapon and destroying full villages and mass killing, all that has been the reality of the Sudan war for two years,” said Marion Ramstein, MSF emergency field coordinator in North Darfur.

Zamzam Camp was established in 2004 to house people driven from their homes by janjaweed attacks. Located just south of el-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur province, it swelled over the years to cover an area 8 kilometers (5 miles) long by about 3 kilometers (2 miles) wide.

In the spring of 2024, the RSF clamped a siege around Zamzam as it moved against el-Fasher, one of the last strongholds of the Sudanese military in Darfur.

Many have died of starvation under the siege, Bakheit and others said. “For too long, there was no option but to eat grass and tree leaves,” she said.

Famine was declared in the camp in August after RSF attacks forced the U.N. and aid groups to pull out of Zamzam. A comprehensive death toll from the famine is not known.

Ahlam al-Nour, a 44-year-old mother of five, said her youngest child, a 3-year-old, died of severe malnutrition in December.

The RSF has repeatedly claimed Zamzam and nearby Abu Shouk Camp were used as bases by the military and its allied militias. It said in a statement that it took control of the camp on April 11 to “secure civilians and humanitarian workers.” It denied its fighters targeted civilians. The RSF did not reply to AP’s questions on the attack.

'The janjaweed are coming’​

Bakheit, who lived on the southern edge of Zamzam, said she heard loud explosions and heavy gunfire around 2 a.m. April 11. The RSF started with heavy shelling, and people panicked as the night sky lit up and houses burst into flames, Bakheit said.

By sunrise, the RSF-led fighters broke into her area, storming houses, kicking residents out and seizing valuables, Bakheit and others said. They spoke of sexual harassment and rape of young women and girls by RSF fighters.

“The children were screaming, ‘The janjaweed are coming’,” Bakheit said.

About two dozen women who fled to the nearby town of Tawila reported that they were raped during the attack, said Ramstein, who was in Tawila at the time. She said the number is likely much higher because many women are too ashamed to report rapes.

“We’re talking about looting. We’re talking about beating. We’re talking about killing, but also about a lot of rape,” she said.

The paramilitaries rounded up hundreds of people, including women and children. Bakheit said fighters whipped, beat, insulted and sexually harassed her in front of her children as they drove her family from their home.

She said she saw houses burning and at least five bodies in the street, including two women and a boy, the ground around them soaked in blood.

The fighters gathered Bakheit and about 200 other people in an open area and interrogated them, asking about anyone fighting for the military and its allied militias.

“They tortured us,” said al-Nour, who was among them.

Al-Nour and Bakheit said they saw RSF fighters shoot two young men in the head during the interrogation. They shot a third man in the leg and he lay bleeding and screaming, they said.

One video shared online by RSF paramilitaries showed fighters wearing RSF uniforms by nine bodies lying motionless on the ground. A fighter says he is inside Zamzam and that they would kill people “like this,” pointing to the bodies on the ground.

Much of the camp was burned​

The RSF rampage, which also targeted Abu Shouk Camp north of el-Fasher, went on for days.

The paramilitaries destroyed Zamzam’s only functioning medical center, killing nine workers from Relief International. They killed at least 23 people at a religious school, mostly young students studying the Quran, according to the General Coordination for Displaced Persons and Refugees in Darfur.

Much of the south and east of the camp was burned to the ground, the General Coordination said.

Satellite imagery from April 16 showed thick black smoke rising from several active fires in the camp. At least 1.7 square kilometers (0.65 square miles) appeared to have been burned down between April 10-16, said a report by the Yale School of Public Health’s Humanitarian Research Lab, which analyzed and published the imagery. That is about 10% of the camp’s area.

The imagery showed vehicles around the camp and at its main access points, which HRL said were probably RSF checkpoints controlling entry and exit.

By April 14, only about 2,100 people remained in the camp, according to the U.N.’s International Organization for Migration.

An arduous journey​

After being detained for three hours, Bakheit, al-Nour and dozens of other women and children were released by the paramilitaries.

They walked for hours under the burning summer sun. Bakheit and al-Nour said that as they passed through the camp, they went by burning houses, the destroyed main market and bodies of men, women, children in the streets, some of them charred.

They joined an exodus of others fleeing Zamzam and heading to the town of Tawila, 64 kilometers (40 miles) west of El Fasher. Al-Nour said she saw at least three people who died on the road, apparently from exhaustion and the effects of starvation and dehydration.

“The janjaweed, once again, kill and torture us,” Bakheit said. “Like my mother did about 20 years ago, I had no option but to take my children and leave.”

 

[tiredude]

Basically they are tired of being exploited...

Then let them govern their own. I am sure they will prosper. Isn’t it ironic they talk about all this horrible exploitation but hold on hard to the western world’s weapons of war. I simply ask them to create one thing….. and then we can take another step. I don’t believe that will happen.

 

[jward]

Brant
@brantphilip1978

In the space of the last 12 hours, JNIM has raided at least 7 military sites in Burkina Faso, most of them in the north of the country: Djibo, Sollé, Sabcé, Bougou, Bogoya, Yondé, Boulsa, yesterday the group captured the town of Boussougou, more attacks reported but unconfirmed.

12:39 PM · May 11, 2025
4,235
Views

---

Brant
@brantphilip1978
1h

Local sources in Djibo report the base was fully overrun by JNIM, and as many as 100 casualties are counted so far, the group could've taken the city if they had wished.
CRT<1m

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1921636645230587999

View: https://twitter.com/brantphilip1978/status/1921636645230587999

 

[Plain Jane]

Africa's youngest leader, a friend of Russia, is celebrated by some and criticized by others

Burkina Faso’s junta leader Capt. Ibrahim Traore has sparked a social media debate, with some in Africa praising him and others criticizing him.

apnews.com

Africa’s youngest leader, a friend of Russia, is celebrated by some and criticized by others​

DULUE MBACHU
Updated 4:06 PM EDT, May 13, 2025
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ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — As news emerged this week about hundreds of Burkina Faso citizens killed separately by both jihadi groups and government forces, images of Burkina Faso’s junta leader Capt. Ibrahim Traore were plastered over Russian state media speaking about pan-Africanism and liberating the minds of the continent’s youths.

Traore, who was in Moscow for the 80th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II, is Africa’s youngest leader at 37, a strong appeal for the continent’s young population that is used to much older leaders.

Since coming to power in September 2022 after the country’s second coup that year, he has dwelt on a rhetoric of self-reliance and independence from the West, particularly former colonial ruler France — a message that often resonates with young Africans and the diaspora.

Why is Traore trending​

The latest Traore frenzy reached a new peak late April with a solidarity march in the country’s capital, Ouagadougou, following an alleged coup attempt and comments by Gen. Michael Langley, the head of U.S. military in Africa, accusing the Burkina Faso leader of misusing the country’s gold reserves.

Following the 2022 coup that brought him to power, Traore promised to end the country’s decadeslong deadly security crisis and leverage its rich mineral resources for the benefit of its 24 million citizens.

Alongside the coup-hit nations of Niger and Mali, Burkina Faso has since severed ties with the regional bloc of ECOWAS — criticized by many young Africans as representing the interest of leaders and not the citizens — as well as longstanding Western allies such as France, whose military provided security support to the government for many years to help its security crisis.

Analysts and locals suggest that these factors, combined with his youth, have contributed to Traore’s appeal among young Africans.

“There is a growing consciousness among African youth at home and abroad that they need to do something about the continent’s lack of progress,” said Richard Alandu, a Ghanaian living near the border with Burkina Faso. “It appears Traore has become the face of that consciousness.”

How has Traore fared as Burkina Faso’s junta leader​

The security crisis that Traore vowed to resolve has worsened instead, slowing the country’s overall economic development and preventing most citizens from benefiting from its mineral wealth, according to analysts and researchers’ data.

“There has been no real progress on the ground” in Burkina Faso, said Gbara Awanen, a professor of international relations and security studies at Nigeria’s Baze University, who specializes in West Africa. “A lot of it is just sleek propaganda.”

Data from the U.S.-based Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project, or ACLED, shows that while 2,894 people were killed by both government and armed groups during the year before the 2022 coup, the number has more than doubled to at least 7,200 in the last year.

Analysts say the attacks have worsened to the point that Ouagadougou is now increasingly threatened, with more than 60% of the country outside of government control. At least 2.1 million people have lost their homes as a result of the violence, and almost 6.5 million need humanitarian aid to survive, conservative estimates show.

Propaganda rhythms​

Babacar Ndiaye, a senior fellow at the Senegal-based Timbuktu Institute for Peace Studies, attributes the current frenzy surrounding Traore primarily to his popularity — and Russia-driven propaganda

Despite Burkina Faso’s worsening security crisis, Traore still has “so much resonance and interest simply because of propaganda,” Ndiaye said. “In Africa, there is deep frustration with the traditional leadership, so there is polarized anger towards a scapegoat that is the west.”

West Africa, meanwhile, has a history of young men seizing power as exemplified by John Jerry Rawlings in Ghana, Samuel Doe in Liberia and Thomas Sankara in Burkina Faso, all in the 1980s. That history, placed against the perceived failure of Western-style democracy in Africa, has helped to create conditions for idolizing the likes of Traore.

Still, allegations of propaganda do not adequately explain the excitement that has built up around Africa’s youngest ruler, according to Chidi Odinkalu, an Africa analyst and professor at Tufts University.

“Traore articulates a revolutionary message that is appealing to a young population frustrated by the thievery of what passes for ‘democracy’ in their own countries,” said Odinkalu.

 

[Plain Jane]

Sudan's army chief appoints the first prime minister since war began in 2023

Sudan’s army chief has appointed the country’s first prime minister since it plunged into civil war two years ago and following months of steady advances by the military against its paramilitary rival.

apnews.com

Sudan’s army chief appoints the first prime minister since war began in 2023​

This is a locator map for Sudan with its capital, Khartoum. (AP Photo

FATMA KHALED
Updated 2:04 AM EDT, May 20, 2025
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​

CAIRO (AP) — Sudan’s army chief on Monday appointed the country’s first prime minister since it plunged into civil war two years ago and following months of steady advances by the military against its paramilitary rival.

Kamil al-Taib Idris will be tasked with forming the country’s transitional government, a move long touted by military chief Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan, particularly after the army regained control of Khartoum in March and ousted the Rapid Support Forces from the capital.

The war in Sudan broke out in April 2023 when the military and the RSF turned against each other in a struggle for power. Their battles spread from Khartoum to around the country. At least 20,000 people have been killed, but the real toll is probably far higher. Nearly 13 million people have fled their homes, 4 million of them streaming into neighboring countries. Half the population of 50 million faces hunger.

The last prime minister, Abdalla Hamdok, resigned in 2022 during a political deadlock and widespread pro-democracy protests.

Journalist and political analyst Osman Mirghani said that appointing Idris marks an important step toward restoring civilian-led rule and addressing Sudan’s political crisis.

His chances of being accepted by various communities of the Sudanese society seems higher, even among those who support the RSF, because he has no political affiliations,” he said.


The RSF and its allies signed a charter in February in Kenya’s capital, Nairobi, to establish a parallel government. The charter calls for “a secular, democratic and decentralized state,” in a nod to growing calls by Sudan’s many communities for autonomy from Khartoum.

Idris had previously worked as Sudan’s legal adviser at its U.N. mission and is a member of the U.N. International Law Commission, according to his social media profile.

 

[Scrapman]

These countries have had it with France stealing there minerals. It all started in Burkina Faso. The more I read about this the more I'm convinced France has been screwing these former colonies and also fermenting wars to keep it that way.

 

[jward]

Brant
@brantphilip1978
16m

Unconfirmed reports (emphasis on the unconfirmed) that IS-Sahel has killed around 41 soldiers in Tillia, and used kamikaze drones in the attack which would be a first for this province, again this toll is inconclusive and official statements are yet to come.

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1926727841774702593

View: https://twitter.com/brantphilip1978/status/1926727841774702593

 

[Housecarl]

Brant
@brantphilip1978
16m

Unconfirmed reports (emphasis on the unconfirmed) that IS-Sahel has killed around 41 soldiers in Tillia, and used kamikaze drones in the attack which would be a first for this province, again this toll is inconclusive and official statements are yet to come.

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1926727841774702593

View: https://twitter.com/brantphilip1978/status/1926727841774702593

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/proxy/Cv9PpH3OWrarBHfI8FFDJFYTzt7KG_ge5DT6h2UmGSuRBCilx4NO0wQLx0zN9FoJdLJShUS5mV-acZ1PmMY5LsY_v85BXuVw0_dMrtHrdFa-8fvUYN38Icy7AbqE4RrojCzuVEpXLwObvm57GThdnTbjI_InH6okUZZzxAhx

https://www.nationsonline.org/maps/Niger-map-L.jpg

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Tehseen-Zafar/publication/326752194/figure/fig1/AS:654872525434880@1533145185358/Simplified-map-of-the-geology-of-Nigeria-redrawn-after-Okunlola-2005-Colored-edge.png

https://media.springernature.com/lw685/springer-static/image/chp%3A10.1007%2F978-3-642-40871-7_218-1/MediaObjects/314103_0_En_218-1_Fig2_HTML.png

 

[Housecarl]

Posted for fair use.....

Future russian Port in Sudan Struck by Chinese Ripoffs of Shahed-136 | Defense Express

Besides the grim irony of the situation, where a port handed over to russians in exchange for fighter jets gets shelled by notorious kamikaze drones, the core issue is whether China was aware of these attacks

en.defence-ua.com

Future russian Port in Sudan Struck by Chinese Ripoffs of Shahed-136​

Defense Express
ukr.defense.news@gmail.com
June 1, 2025
1549 0

Besides the grim irony of the situation, where a port handed over to russians in exchange for fighter jets gets shelled by notorious kamikaze drones, the core issue is whether China was aware of these attacks​

New details have come to light about the first-ever combat deployment of Sunflower 200, a Chinese copy of iranian Shahed-136, in early May 2025. For a brief reminder, the explosive suicide drones were reportedly used by the Rapid Support Forces, backed by Russian Wagner Group and the United Arab Emirates, for a week-long attack on Port-Sudan. The opponents, Transitional Sovereignty Council (supported by the Sudanese Armed Forces), accused the UAE of directly helping the RSF to carry out the strike.

A recent article by the U.S.-based Jamestown Foundation reveals arguably the most important detail of this story. It turns out that one of the parties to the war in Sudan almost entirely destroyed the infrastructure of the future base for russian ships in this region — using Chinese copies of Shahed drones, no less.

Read more: Chinese Drones Used in Attack on Sudan Were Seen at a 2023 Military Expo in russia

Analyst Andrew McGregor notes that the drone attack jeopardized Russian long-aspired plans for a naval base on the Red Sea coast, as satellite data revealed large-scale destructions at Flamingo Bay, an acting base of the Sudanese Navy which the government was hoping to trade for Su-30 and Su-35 fighter aircraft with the Kremlin.

The United Arab Emirates here are mentioned as potential mediators of acquisition of Sunflower 200 drones from China, although Sudanese Navy commander, Lieutenant General Mahjub Bushra, believes the Emirati military provided broader support. He claimed the drones were launched from UAE military facilities in Somalia.

On the other hand, SAF intelligence believes that the Sunflower 200 launches were carried out by RSF forces on their own, after receiving the delivery of UAVs via the Libyan desert or through the Amdjarass airstrip in Chad where UAE transport aircraft land regularly.

Furthermore, the RSF must have obtained or been given accurate coordinates "by means normally unavailable to the technologically weak paramilitary," reads the article, suggesting external aid in targeting the strikes.

Defense Express notes, regardless of who exactly pushed the launch button or aided in preparations, the main issue is that per China's international obligations, Sunflower drones should not have ended up in Sudan at all. This raises an important question of whether Beijing knew of the end user and sanctioned this operation nonetheless.

Jamestown Foundation says UAE and the PRC may be acting in unison to curb Russia’s naval ambitions in the region by enabling the strike on the naval facility that the Sudanese government wanted to offer in a bargain.

On the flip side, the strike on Port Sudan’s infrastructure with Chinese drones led to significant humanitarian problems, hitting fuel tanks and other commodities kept in the port which are critical to the civilian population. The episode will surely need an explanation from PRC as to how its weapons found their way to the warzone in Africa.

Against this background, in a different light appears the attempt of TSC to secure S-400 air defense systems deal with Russia in 2020. Moscow denied the purchase precisely not to soil relations with China and the West. This, in part, led to the Sudanese military currently having not enough means to shoot down incoming drones.

Read more: Multiple Explosions, Casualties, and Military Evacuations Follow a Suspected Ukrainian Special Operation in Vladivostok

 

[Plain Jane]

Defense Express notes, regardless of who exactly pushed the launch button or aided in preparations, the main issue is that per China's international obligations, Sunflower drones should not have ended up in Sudan at all. This raises an important question of whether Beijing knew of the end user and sanctioned this operation nonetheless.

This is a development worth keeping our eyes on.

 

[Housecarl]

WAR - 05-31-2025-to-06-06-2025__****THE****WINDS****of****WAR****

(398) 05-10-2025-to-05-16-2025__****THE****WINDS****of****WAR**** (399) 05-17-2025-to-05-23-2025__****THE****WINDS****of****WAR**** (400) 05-24-2025-to-05-30-2025__****THE****WINDS****of****WAR**** ==================================================================...

www.timebomb2000.com

Flailing State: The Resurgence of al-Shabaab in Somalia – War on the Rocks

The offensive al-Shabaab launched in late February 2025 marks its most ambitious push in years, reversing government gains and reasserting control in

warontherocks.com

 

[Plain Jane]

Wagner Group leaving Mali after heavy losses but Russia's Africa Corps to remain

The Russia-backed Wagner Group says it is leaving Mali after more than three and a half years of fighting Islamic extremists and insurgents in the country.

apnews.com

Wagner Group leaving Mali after heavy losses but Russia’s Africa Corps to remain​

MARK BANCHEREAU
Updated 5:01 PM EDT, June 6, 2025
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DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — The Russia-backed Wagner Group said Friday it is leaving Mali after more than three and a half years of fighting Islamic extremists and insurgents in the country.

Despite Wagner’s announcement, Russia will continue to have a mercenary presence in the West African country. The Africa Corps, Russia’s state-controlled paramilitary force, said on its Telegram channel Friday that Wagner’s departure would not introduce any changes and the Russian contingent will remain in Mali.

“Mission accomplished. Private Military Company Wagner returns home,” the group announced via its channel on the messaging app Telegram. It said it had brought all regional capitals under control of the Malian army, pushed out armed militants and killed their commanders.

Mali, along with neighbors Burkina Faso and Niger, has for more than a decade battled an insurgency fought by armed groups, including some allied with al-Qaida and the Islamic State group.

As Western influence in the region has waned, Russia has sought to step into the vacuum, sweeping in with offers of assistance. Moscow initially expanded its military cooperation with African nations by using the Wagner Group of mercenaries. But since the group’s leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, was killed in a plane crash in 2023, after mounting a brief armed rebellion in Russia that challenged the rule of President Vladimir Putin, Moscow has been developing the Africa Corps as a rival force to Wagner.

Africa Corps is under direct command of the Russian defense ministry.

According to U.S. officials, there are around 2,000 mercenaries in Mali. It is unclear how many are with Wagner and how many are part of the Africa Corps.

Beverly Ochieng, a security analyst specializing in the Sahel for Control Risks consultancy, said the Russian defense ministry had been negotiating with Mali to take on more Africa Corps fighters and for Wagner mercenaries to join Russia’s state-controlled paramilitary force.

“Since the death of Prigozhin, Russia has had this whole plan to then make the Wagner Group fall under the command of the Ministry of Defense. One of the steps they made was to revamp or introduce the Africa Corps, which is the way in which the Russian paramilitaries would retain a presence in areas where the Wagner group has been operating,” Ochieng said.

Wagner has been present in Mali since late 2021 following a military coup, replacing French troops and international peacekeepers to help fight the militants. But the Malian army and Russian mercenaries struggled to curb violence in the country and have both been accused of targeting civilians.

Last month, United Nations experts urged Malian authorities to investigate reports of alleged summary executions and forced disappearances by Wagner mercenaries and the army.

In December, Human Rights Watch accused Malian armed forces and the Wagner Group of deliberately killing at least 32 civilians over an 8-month span.

The announcement of Wagner’s withdrawal comes as the Malian army and the Russian mercenaries suffered heavy losses during attacks by the al-Qaida linked group JNIM in recent weeks.

Last week, JNIM fighters killed dozens of soldiers in an attack on a military base in central Mali.

Rida Lyammouri, a Sahel expert at the Morocco-based Policy Center for the New South, said the major losses might have caused the possible end of Wagner’s mission.

“The lack of an official and mutual announcement from both the Malian authorities and Wagner indicate possible internal dispute which led to this sudden decision. Simultaneously, this could point to a new framework for Russian presence in the country,” he said.

Replacing Wagner with Africa Corps troops would likely shift Russia’s focus in Mali from fighting alongside the Malian army to training, said Ulf Laessing, head of the Sahel program at the Konrad Adenauer Foundation.


“Africa Corps has a lighter footprint and focuses more on training, providing equipment and doing protection services. They fight less than the ‘Rambo-type’ Wagner mercenaries,” Laessing said.

___

Associated Press writer Monika Pronczuk in Dakar, Senegal, contributed.

 

[Plain Jane]

Red Cross closes Niger offices and foreign staff leave after junta's expulsion order

The International Committee of the Red Cross has announced the closure of its offices in Niger and the departure of its foreign staff, four months after the ruling junta ordered the organization to leave the country.

apnews.com

Red Cross closes Niger offices and foreign staff leave after junta’s expulsion order​

By MARK BANCHEREAU
Updated 7:42 AM EDT, June 6, 2025
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DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — The International Committee of the Red Cross announced the closure of its offices in Niger and the departure of its foreign staff, four months after the ruling junta ordered the organization to leave the country.

The ICRC confirmed the closure and departure in a statement on Thursday.

“We reiterate our willingness to maintain constructive dialogue with the authorities of Niger with a view to resuming our strictly humanitarian protection and assistance activities,” Patrick Youssef, the ICRC’s regional director for Africa, said in the statement.

In February, Niger’s Foreign Affairs Ministry had ordered the ICRC to close its offices and leave the country. No official reason was given for the military junta’s decision to shut down the organization’s operations in the country at the time.

The ICRC said it had been in dialogue with Niger’s authorities since February to understand the reasons for their decision and provide any necessary clarification but that these efforts were unsuccessful.

On May 31, Niger’s junta leader, Abdourahamane Tchiani, justified the ICRC expulsion on Nigerien state television, accusing the organization of having met with “terrorist leaders” and funding armed groups.

The ICRC refuted the accusations in its statement on Thursday, saying that dialogue with all sides in the conflict is necessary to carry out its humanitarian mandate and that it “never provides financial, logistical, or any other form of support” to armed groups.


The humanitarian organization had been active in the West African country since 1990, mainly helping people displaced by violence by Islamic extremists, food insecurity and natural disasters. According to the organization, it provided humanitarian aid to more than 2 million people in Niger.

Niger’s military rulers took power in a coup two years ago, the latest of several military takeovers in Africa’s Sahel, the vast, arid expanse south of the Sahara Desert that has become a hotspot for extremist violence by militant groups.

Since the coup, Niger has pulled away from its Western partners, such as France and the United States, turning instead to Russia for security.

Last November, the country’s military junta banned the French aid group Acted from working in the country amid tensions with France.