Vol 63 No 13 | MALI Bamako refuses to look to France 23rd June 2022 With French and European troops leaving, the junta turns its ire on UN peacekeepers and seeks new foreign allies Malian military ruler Colonel Assimi Goïta is determined to show that his forces can tackle a growing Islamist onslaught, despite the withdrawal of French and European troops,...
Vol 63 No 12 | MALI Mali deals hammer blow to G5 Sahel 9th June 2022 Bamako’s withdrawal from the regional bloc came as a shock, and desperate diplomacy will struggle to bring it back to the fold 'The G5 Sahel is dead.' This was the verdict of Nigerien President Mohamed Bazoum on 18 May, three days after the Malian military regime announced its withdrawal from all instituti...
Vol 63 No 12 | MALIFRANCE Top French minister drawn into bribery row 7th June 2022 Bamako's prosecutor has summoned France's former foreign minister Jean-Yves Le Drian to answer corruption accusations as bilateral ties plummet further Although he has just been released from a decade of service as one of France's most senior ministers by President Emmanuel Macron, Jean-Yves Le Drian is not expected to find the ti...
Vol 63 No 10 | MALI Bamako's junta forces hard choices 12th May 2022 With French troops pulling out, and the UN mission at risk, African leaders mull how to fill the security vacuum UN Secretary-General António Guterres has presented West African governments with hard military choices, by proposing the African Union establish a new force that could repl...
Vol 63 No 8 | MALISAHELSECURITYG5 Disjointed force 14th April 2022 The demise of the G5 Sahel Joint Force looks imminent, according to authoritative sources. The force always had a slight presence in the anti-jihadist campaign in the Sahel, and it...
Vol 63 No 7 | MALI Goïta's junta cracks down mercilessly 31st March 2022 The army is accused of running a ruthless counter-insurgency campaign while authorities clamp down on anyone reporting abuses Colonel Assimi Goïta's military regime is responding to mounting allegations of human rights violations by the national army and Russian mercenaries of the Wagner Group by las...
Vol 63 No 7 | MALIFRANCE Sectarian killings surge as French troops leave 25th March 2022 Civilians are targeted by national soldiers, Islamists and Russian mercenaries but Bamako's military rulers are determined to end the western security presence The Commanders of Opération Barkhane and the European Special Forces' Takuba have begun to plan for their withdrawal from Mali. Earlier this month, Barkhane's French command...
Vol 63 No 6 | MALIRUSSIASAHEL Danger looms for the UN in Mali 16th March 2022 The future of the UN peacekeeping mission is in question – European troops are leaving and evidence is emerging of abuses by the national army and Wagner A cloud of anxiety hangs over the leaders of the UN peacekeeping mission in Mali as they navigate a hostile military government, tumultuous developments in the Sahel and the geopol...
Vol 63 No 4 | BENINMALIEUROPEAN UNIONSAHEL France moves out of Mali 16th February 2022 European governments are rethinking military plans in the Sahel ahead of the grand summit between the African Union and the EU African and European officials have agreed to move the centre for counter-insurgency operations in the Sahel from Mali to Niger but questions remain about how to manage the logisti...
Vol 63 No 2 | CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLICMALI War dogs' old tricks 20th January 2022 Mali can learn what to expect from Russian mercenaries by looking at their playbook from the Central African Republic As Russian mercenaries deploy to Mali to combat Islamist insurgents, the country can expect to be forced to pay an escalating bill, on top of seeing the operatives take over valuab...
