Senegalese foreign minister Aissata Tall Sall recently called on China to become more involved in the Sahel region, specifically expressing a hope that Beijing will be a “strong voice” in combatting the rising tide of terrorism in the region. The appeal certainly has its logic, given Beijing’s expanding influence in…
When extremists attacked a Côte d’Ivoire checkpoint last month at the border with Burkina Faso, killing several Ivorian military personnel, the incident underscored growing concern that the threat of West Africa’s armed groups was creeping into yet another nation. At least 30 suspected militants including Burkinabe leader Ali Sidibe were…
Ethiopia and Tunisia have been removed, but four African nations are now on a financial crimes watch list issued by the European Union. Botswana, Ghana, Mauritius and Zimbabwe are identified as high-risk countries for money laundering and the potential for funding terrorism, according to an EU statement. The additions are…
Officials in the United States have announced a new counterterrorism partnership with Kenya, in what they say is the first such Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF) involving American partners to be located outside of the United States. The U.S. Department of State and Federal Bureau of Investigation say the Kenyan-led…
Tunisia’s significant human rights challenges remain seven years after its uprising, says Clément Nyaletsossi Voule, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and association. His statement Thursday comes after a 10-day visit to assess progress and the impact of new legislation that, while intended…
United States Secretary of State Rex Tillerson headed to Chad and Nigeria on Monday, resuming his tour of African nations after briefly falling ill at the weekend while in Kenya. While in N’Djamena, Tillerson was expected to focus on counterterrorism efforts in West Africa, where Chad plays a key role…
Decades ago, during the U.S. presidency of Richard Nixon and the war in Southeast Asia, political cartoonist Garry Trudeau of “Doonesbury” fame created some classic commentary on a U.S. Senate inquiry into “secret” bombing raids that weren’t in Vietnam at all, but rather in Cambodia. The 1973 Sunday cartoon made…
Laureen is the editor of Africa Times
Donald Yamamoto, the acting assistant secretary for African affairs at the United States Department of State, testified before a U.S. congressional committee on Wednesday in defense of a USD$5.2 billion foreign assistance budget request for FY2018. Yamamoto, in a position that President Donald Trump’s administration has yet to formally fill,…
Moroccan security officials and their counterparts from Spain met Tuesday to discuss cooperation between the two nations in the wake of the Barcelona terror attacks two weeks ago. The renewed attention to regional coordination comes after authorities found a group of men, many of them dual citizens of Morocco and…
Newly elected President Emmanuel Macron of France promised during his campaign that once in office, his first trip abroad would be to see French troops stationed in the Sahel in Operation Barkhane. Now he’s making good on that promise with a visit, expected to be in Mali, on Thursday or…
A report that investigates the role of state-sponsored surveillance in Kenya charges that information gathered by authorities – outside of the procedures required by Kenyan law – is used to facilitate human rights abuses. That’s especially a concern as Kenya moves forward with the country’s 2017 elections, the report by…