sahel

Morocco

Morocco thwarts terror plot by cell linked to IS in the Sahel

Authorities in the north African nation said they had dismantled a 12-member cell that was planning attacks on behalf of the jihadist group's regional franchise.

25/02/2025

Europe News

France's military forced out of Sahel region as it closes base in Chad

The handover of the last French military base in Chad and the Sahel marks a loss of influence for Paris and European interests in the region.

31/01/2025

France

Macron accuses Sahel of being 'ungrateful' for fight against terrorism

The French president's words have sparked a backlash, with African leaders calling out his "contemptuous attitude".

07/01/2025

Europe News

Brussels warns of 'consequences' of repeal of Niger anti-smuggling law

The Niger junta's decision to repeal an eight-year-old law designed to crack down on migrant smugglers could lead to an influx of migrants into Europe, according to EU home affairs chief Ylva Johansson.

28/11/2023

Niger

Euroviews. Niger is the latest victim of Africa’s development paradox

Under the sticky colonial development model of resource extraction, African natural resources have been a blessing for former colonial powers and a curse for source countries and the entire continent as a whole, Hippolyte Fofack writes.

12/10/2023

Europe News

EU working on plans to sanction Niger coup leaders - Borrell

The EU is working on plans to sanction the military leaders who seized power in Niger in July, the EU’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said Wednesday.

30/08/2023

Europe Decoded

What the Niger coup means for Europe’s relationship with the Sahel

Niger was seen as the last bastion of democracy in the Sahel region. The ousting of its democratically elected President is a harsh setback for EU efforts to address the double-edged challenge of security and development in the region.

04/08/2023

Germany

Germany confirms it will withdraw troops from UN Mali mission

Berlin says political and security conditions in Mali, which is run by a military junta, can no longer justify the deployment of 1,000 German peacekeepers

03/05/2023

Niger

Kidnapped French journalist and US aid worker freed in West Africa

Officials in Niger unexpectedly announced Monday morning that Olivier Dubois and Jeffery Woodke had taken a special flight to the country's capital.

20/03/2023

Mali

'Senior' al-Qaeda operative in Mali killed, French army says

The military operation "eliminated" Yahia Djouadi, who has been described as the group's "finance and logistics coordinator".

07/03/2022

Europe News

Macron denies Mali mission was a failure as French forces pull out

The French president said that without French intervention in 2013 Mali would have collapsed as a state.

16/02/2022

Mali

EU imposes sanctions on five Mali officials including PM Choguel Maïga

The bloc has accused Malian officials of blocking the transition from military to civilian rule.

04/02/2022

Mali

Mali's military junta announces expulsion of French ambassador

Mali's military jnta announces expulsion of French ambassador

31/01/2022

Mali

Denmark to withdraw troops from Mali after order from military leader

Mali's transitional government had said that the Danish troops did not have permission to be in the country.

27/01/2022

Mali

Mali orders Denmark to withdraw troops 'immediately' from Sahel region

Danish authorities say the soldiers were there on an "invitation" as part of European efforts to combat extremism.

25/01/2022

World News

French troops kill head of Islamic State in Greater Sahara: Macron

The French leader described the killing is a "major success" in the fight against terrorist groups in the Sahel.

16/09/2021

My Europe Series

Why did France backtrack and resume military cooperation with Mali?

Just one month after suspending bilateral cooperation with Mali, France said on Friday that it would resume joint military operations with Bamako after all. What are the reasons behind the reversal?

07/07/2021

World News

Euroviews. The Russia factor in France’s policies in Chad and Mali | View

Slammed by some as "hypocrisy," the sharp differences in Paris' policies towards Chad and Mali are actually explained by the need to counter Russia’s creeping influence in the Sahel, writes foreign policy analyst Nicolas Tenzer.

06/07/2021

World News

France resumes military operations with Mali amid terror threat

France was preparing to scale back its military presence in the Sahel region but the same jihadist threat that brought its troops there in the first place has complicated the plan.

05/07/2021

France

Macron warns France could withdraw troops from Mali following coup

France has about 5,100 deployed in the Sahel — more specifically in Chad, Burkina Faso, Mali, Mauritania, and Niger — as part of its Operation Barkhane against Islamic terrorist groups.

30/05/2021