Mauritania

Explosive Device Kills Three French Soldiers in Mali

Three French soldiers were killed in Mali when their armored vehicle struck an explosive device in the Hombori region.

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Three Years on, G5 Sahel Force Struggles With Mission

Three years after its launch, a lack of equipment, funds, and training have left the so-called G5 Sahel struggling for credibility and still dependent on France.

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Western Sahara Clashes Fuelled by ‘Frustration’ Over Status Quo

Armed clashes between Morocco and the Polisario Front reflect the movement's frustration with a three-decade status quo that has frozen its dreams of independence in the Western Sahara, analysts say.

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Two Soldiers, Five Volunteers Killed in Burkina Attack

Two Burkina Faso soldiers and five civilian defense volunteers have been killed during an ambush on a military patrol in the restive north of the country, security sources said Tuesday. The attack occurred on Monday as soldiers from the military detachment in Banh in Loroum province were carrying out a patrol in the area, the sources said. “Two soldiers were killed along with five civilians,” a security source told AFP. Another security source said the civilian casualties were “defense volunteers who were with the military unit during the patrol,” adding two soldiers also died. The source said four others in the patrol were wounded, without giving further details. Al-Qaeda-affiliated jihadist alliance GSIM claimed responsibility for the attack, claiming to have killed “nine soldiers” in an ambush and taken weapons and vehicles, in a text sent to AFP late Tuesday. The Mali-based GSIM (Group to Support Islam and Muslims) comprises several different jihadist groups in the Sahel. On May 11, jihadists killed eight Burkinabe soldiers during an attack close to the Niger border in Yagha province, security sources said at the time. Burkina Faso is part of a regional effort to battle an Islamist insurgency, along with neighboring Mali and Niger, Mauritania and Chad. However, …

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AFRICOM cancels North Africa multinational training exercise Phoenix Express over COVID-19 concerns

US Africa Command cancelled the Phoenix Express joint naval security exercise as a precaution to limit the spread of COVID-19

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UN says G5 Sahel needs more support to battle terrorism, as Macron signals force revamp

The G5 Sahel Joint Force faces persistent training and equipment shortfalls as violence spirals in the region, according to a new UN report

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UN renews Western Sahara MINURSO mission mandate for a year

The UN Security Council renewed the mandate of its MINURSO mission in disputed Western Sahara

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Guterres again calls for UN to fund G5 Sahel counter-terrorism force

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres again pushed for funding for the G5 Sahel force, warning "we are not winning the war against terrorism"

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Sahel states need more support to fight extremism, UN chief Guterres says

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged international support for the G5 Sahel to help West Africa's fight against violent extremism

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EU pledges €138 million more to support G5 Sahel Joint Force

The EU is to give €138 million more to support the G5 Sahel Joint Force, including its police component, a joint statement said

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