Vol 64 No 9 | SAHEL A battle for regional control 27th April 2023 Clashes between jihadist groups are increasing as they seek to strengthen their territorial control Jama'a Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin' (JNIM), the Sahel's largest jihadist umbrella alliance, is under pressure from an aggressive fightback by Islamic State in the Greater Sahara...
Vol 64 No 3 | RUSSIASAHEL Resurrecting the 'Russosphere' 2nd February 2023 The spike in pro-Russian sentiment in the Sahel has been linked to an obscure Belgian activist, Luc Michel. Describing himself as a 'Stalinist', Michel, 65, founded a Belgian versi...
DISPATCHES Vol 64 No 2 | BURKINA FASOEUROPEAN UNIONSAHEL More European diplomatic dominoes fall as French ambassador is expelled from Ouagadogou 10th January 2023 The military juntas in the Sahel are sidelining Europe's efforts on security in favour of Moscow's forces When Burkina Faso's junta expelled France's ambassador, Luc Hallade, last week it reinforced the sense of failure of Europe's diplomatic and security policy in the region. READ FOR FREE
Vol 63 No 22 | MALIFRANCESAHEL Bamako's wolf warrior diplomacy backfires 28th October 2022 Foreign Minister Diop's attacks on France and peacekeepers meets sceptical silence at UN Security Council After accusing France of supporting Islamist militia groups at a UN Security Council meeting on 18 October, Bamako's foreign minister Abdoulaye Diop dialled down the rhetoric five ...
Vol 63 No 18 | SAHEL Anti-jihad forces try to do without Mali 8th September 2022 Mali has opted out, so other Sahelian states are trying to cooperate militarily to fill a vacuum in which the jihadists are thriving New alliances are being reinforced by states on the front line against jihad to make up for Mali's decision to go it alone and expel France and its advanced military resources. Nig...
Vol 63 No 15 | MALISAHEL Goïta plays to his nationalist gallery 21st July 2022 The regime in Bamako raised hopes by promising elections, but then stoked a new crisis with the UN peacekeeping force Hardly had it been announced that West African leaders were lifting sanctions against Mali's military regime, when a new crisis flared, as the authorities arrested 49 Ivorian soldi...
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 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 5 | NIGERSAHEL Terrorisme sans frontières 2nd March 2022 The relocation of European troops from Mali to Niger holds political risks for President Bazoum but may avert a wider security breakdown Geography helps explain why President Mohamed Bazoum overcame his initial reluctance to host European and French troops after they were expelled from Mali this month. Bazoum unders...
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...