Tag: JNIM
Niger Accuses France of Planning Third Attack
Niger's transitional leader, Gen. Abdourahamane Tchiani, said in a July 26 RTN interview marking the third anniversary of the 2023 coup that the Sahel alliance plans to grow its joint force from 5,000 to 18,000 troops, and claimed French intelligence had equipped the militants behind a June 18 assault on Niamey's…
U.S. Weighs Military Action in Mali
The Trump administration is considering direct military action in Mali against al-Qaeda affiliate JNIM, The Washington Post reported on July 22, citing current and former U.S. officials. Officials are reportedly divided; no strike order has been announced. A former official said one administration objective last year was securing overflight rights…
Moscow Blames Ukraine as Mali Allies Falter
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Georgy Borisenko has accused Ukrainian military personnel of creating a “second front” against Russia in Africa, naming Mali and Libya.Borisenko told TASS that Ukrainians were training Islamist fighters in Mali to use drones and alleged that Ukrainian instructors helped attack the Russian tanker Arktik Metagaz off…
The Sahel in Mid-2026: One Conflict Across Many Fronts
The Sahel's security crisis is no longer defined by separate insurgencies in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger. Militant groups now operate across a single interconnected theater, exploiting weak state control, a fractured regional bloc and a Russian security partnership too limited to fill the vacuum left by departing international forces.…
Lavrov’s Africa Tour Signals Trouble for Moscow’s Sahel Allies
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov arrived in Niger this week promising deeper military cooperation with Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso, the three military governments that make up the Alliance of Sahel States, or AES. The timing tells its own story. Moscow’s closest partners in the region are under pressure, and…
