Your account has been succesfully created.
EN FR
Scroll through edition
The Sahel threatened by a jihadist tornado
Operation Barkhane soldiers in Burkina Faso. © Philippe de Poulpiquet/Le Parisien/PhotoPQR/MaxPPP

Running story
The Sahel threatened by a jihadist tornado

As the Sahel security crisis worsens, with Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) and Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS) increasingly active, the states in the region find themselves in an ever more vulnerable position. In an attempt to stem the flow of jihadist propaganda which now risks overflowing into the coastal states, a number of security operations have been launched, among them Operation Barkhane, the G5 Sahel joint force, MINUSMA, and the Coalition for the Sahel.

The Sahel threatened by a jihadist tornado
Operation Barkhane soldiers in Burkina Faso. © Philippe de Poulpiquet/Le Parisien/PhotoPQR/MaxPPP

Sahel
Brussels mulls €35m disbursement to Chadian and Mauritanian armies

The European Union plans to allocate the remainder of a major aid package released seven years ago for the G5 Sahel countries to Chad and Mauritania. That €35m package will be used solely to finance non-lethal equipment.

LogoSubscribers only Defence 18.10.2024

Burkina Faso, Niger
EU rift precipitates G5 Sahel crisis

The future of the joint G5 Sahel force had created sharp tensions between rival EU bodies over the past few months. The row has resurfaced just as Burkina Faso and Niger have announced they are withdrawing from the organisation, which resulted in its dissolution on 6 December.

LogoSubscribers only Defence, Diplomacy 08.12.2023

Spotlight | Burkina Faso
EU seeks path forward as Ouagadougou builds ties with Moscow

While Ibrahim Traoré's junta continues to strengthen its relations with Russia, the possibility of providing military support to the Burkinabe authorities is once again on the agenda in Brussels. But opinions in the bloc are strongly divided on this highly sensitive issue.

Captain Ibrahim Traoré and Russian president Vladimir Putin.
LogoSubscribers only Defence, Diplomacy 23.11.2023
Captain Ibrahim Traoré and Russian president Vladimir Putin.

West Africa
French military bases: Closed door discussions in the Élysée

The French President is due to chair a Defence Council meeting on 14 November devoted exclusively to Africa. The future of France's military presence on the continent will be at the heart of the talks, at a time when the coup d'état in Niger has prompted the Élysée to review its initial plans.

French President Emmanuel Macron with France's Chief of the Defence Staff Thierry Burkhard, in Villepinte, north of Paris, on 13 June 2022.
LogoSubscribers only Defence, Diplomacy 14.11.2023
French President Emmanuel Macron with France's Chief of the Defence Staff Thierry Burkhard, in Villepinte, north of Paris, on 13 June 2022.

Spotlight | Niger
Behind the scenes in French army's high-risk withdrawal from Niger

The withdrawal of French forces from Niger, which began in October, has not so far run into any obstacles. The highly sensitive operation, which requires the services of a handful of private sector contractors, is nevertheless a major logistical challenge.

A military truck of the Nigerien security forces, part of an escort to a French Army military convoy crosses the Lazaret district in Niamey on 10 October 2023.
LogoSubscribers only Defence 01.11.2023
A military truck of the Nigerien security forces, part of an escort to a French Army military convoy crosses the Lazaret district in Niamey on 10 October 2023.

Mali
MINUSMA temporary base in Ogossagou to be dismantled

Minusma is fine-tuning the timetable for its withdrawal from Mali, which will begin mid-September with dismantling of the Ogossagou base camp in the central Mopti region.

LogoSubscribers only Defence, Diplomacy 27.07.2023

Sahel
Euro-Sahel prospects for security projects

The Euro-Sahel association is working on the creation of a coastguard unit on the Senegal River, to improve monitoring of smuggling and illegal immigration routes.

LogoSubscribers only Defence 09.06.2023

Burkina Faso
Junta pressures mining industry into contributing to war effort

The junta, which is in financial difficulty, particularly because of the cost of its battle with the armed groups rife in northern and eastern Burkina Faso, is doing all it can to get its hands on the cash generated by the mines.

LogoSubscribers only Mining, Commodity traders 05.04.2023

Mali
Antonio Guterres to deliver MINUSMA ultimatum to junta leader Goïta

The UN mission in Mali has been hampered politically and operationally by the ruling junta. The UN secretary-general is now drawing up a list of conditions the junta must meet if the mission is to stay on in the country.

United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres delivers a speech during the ceremony of Peacekeepers' Day at the operating base of MINUSMA in Bamako on 29 May 2018.
LogoSubscribers only Diplomacy 05.04.2023
United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres delivers a speech during the ceremony of Peacekeepers' Day at the operating base of MINUSMA in Bamako on 29 May 2018.

Sahel
Special envoys for the Sahel to meet in The Hague

EU special envoys for the Sahel to meet in The Hague on 17 and 18 April.

LogoSubscribers only Diplomacy 29.03.2023

West Africa
In Bruxelles, Coalition of the Sahel to thrash out new strategy

Members of the Sahel Coalition will meet in Brussels on 27 March under the leadership of Djimet Adoum. The approach to be taken after Mali's withdrawal from the G5 Sahel last year will be on the agenda.

LogoSubscribers only Diplomacy 27.03.2023

In Focus | Algeria, Mali
Algerian secret services in survival mode in North Mali

The Algerian intelligence services were long all-powerful in Mali, especially in the north of the country. But faced with a hostile junta and a reorganisation of the Tuareg movements, Algiers must now deal with a situation that is more fragile than ever.

The Algerian foreign intelligence service is seeking to renew its ties with the Malian Tuareg movements.
LogoSubscribers only Diplomacy 20.03.2023
The Algerian foreign intelligence service is seeking to renew its ties with the Malian Tuareg movements.

Sahel
G5 Sahel mulls transfer of joint force HQ to Niamey

Moving the G5 Sahel's joint force's HQs to Niamey was discussed during two separate meetings of the group's member countries' defence and foreign office ministers.

LogoSubscribers only Defence, Diplomacy 26.01.2023

Sahel
Western capitals uneasy about delayed Issoufou report

Former Nigerien president Mahamadou Issoufou's report on the international response to the Sahel security crisis will not be ready in time for the AU summit in February as initially planned, with publication still several months away.

LogoSubscribers only Diplomacy 23.01.2023

Spotlight | France, Sahel
Closed-door talks over future of French military presence in Sahel

The Elysée Palace and the Ministry of the Armed Forces are busy laying plans for the future of France's military presence in the Sahel. While the Sabre task force is on the out, various troop redeployment options are on the cards, as is a highly awaited clarification of French soldiers' status in the region.

French soldiers from Operation Barkhane set up a temporary advanced operating base as they leave Gossi, Mali, on 18 April 2022.
LogoSubscribers only Defence 18.01.2023
French soldiers from Operation Barkhane set up a temporary advanced operating base as they leave Gossi, Mali, on 18 April 2022.

Mauritania
EU poised to stump up €12m to boost Mauritanian army

Le Service européen pour l'action extérieure planche depuis le mois d'octobre sur un vaste plan de soutien en faveur des Forces armées mauritaniennes.

LogoSubscribers only Defence, Diplomacy 08.12.2022

Mauritania, Sahel
Ghazouani makes fresh attempt to revive G5 Sahel

The G5 Sahel alliance has been virtually inoperative since Mali withdrew from it, but Mauritanian president Mohamed Ould Ghazouani is striving - not without difficulty - to revive it. He wants the organisation's presidency transferred from Chad to Niger at a summit meeting to be held next February.

LogoSubscribers only Diplomacy 01.12.2022

France, Germany
French-German parliamentary diplomacy ramps up over the Sahel

A group of French and German MPs and diplomats are heading to Berlin in early December to discuss the outlines of their military partnership in the Sahel region, as well as the impact that the war in Ukraine is having on the African continent.

LogoSubscribers only Defence, Diplomacy 23.11.2022

Libya
Brussels wants to boost cross-border cooperation between Tripoli and Sahel states

A conference on cross-border cooperation between Libya and Sahel states against organised crime and trafficking will be held in Tunis on 22 and 23 November.

LogoSubscribers only Diplomacy 21.11.2022

Sahel
French Foreign Office set to name new Sahel Special Envoy

A replacement for current Special Envoy for the Sahel Frédéric Bontems is due to be named. Bontems will become French Ambassador to South Africa.

LogoSubscribers only Diplomacy 21.11.2022

Stay updated on this topic

Operation Barkhane soldiers in Burkina Faso.

Running story
The Sahel threatened by a jihadist tornado

Our other running stories

All Running stories

Sign up for real-time alerts and be notified of new editions!  

Once registered, you will be notified by a short message on your computer or mobile phone as soon as a new edition of our publication or an alert is published. Stay informed anytime, anywhere!