French President Emmanuel Macron continues his African tour through Sunday, completing stops in Angola and Congo Brazzaville on Friday as he seeks to reassure leaders of France’s commitment to Africa while acknowledging that the vestiges of the colonial era are forever in the past. Macron met with his Angolan counterpart,…
Laureen is the editor of Africa Times
Côte d’Ivoire has been one of the Top 10 nations to contribute troops to the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Mali, but the government has announced it’s pulling out of the mission in a letter sent to the UN. The letter, according to Radio France International (RFI), confirms Abidjan’s decision…
Twenty African nations, along with European partners and the United States, are participating in the Grand African Navy Exercise for Maritime Operations (NEMO) in the Gulf of Guinea. The exercise, led by French forces, is designed to support cooperative security efforts in West African waters. Along with coastal and island…
Germany has suspended its participation in MINUSMA, the United Nations mission in Mali, after a rotation flight carrying soldiers to and from the Sahel nation didn’t receive overflight and landing rights from the government. “Once again, the Malian rulers have denied MINUSMA overflight rights,” said German defense minister Christine Lambrecht….
President Emmanuel Macron of France wrapped up a three-nation tour of West Africa with a visit to Guinea-Bissau on Thursday, meeting with President Úmaro Sissoco Embaló to discuss regional security issues. His meeting with Embaló, who took over this month as commissioner of the Economic Community of West African States…
President Emmanuel Macron of France, joined by the leaders of Ghana and Senegal, made the long-awaited announcement on pulling out troops from Mali on Thursday. “In the Sahel as in the Gulf of Guinea, the expectations of our partners have changed,” said Macron. “The sensitivity of public opinion in the…
Russian troops have been deployed in Mali, where they will serve as military trainers for the Malian defense forces near the city of Timbuktu. That’s according to a government spokesman cited by Reuters and other international news agencies. Witnesses living in the region told Reuters they had seen uniformed Russian…
Yet another strain of the COVID-19 virus has emerged in France, after the case was discovered in a person returning from travel in the West African nation of Cameroon. The new strain has now been identified in 12 people who may have had contact with the person, who lives in…
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…
The Russian foreign ministry confirmed reports that Mali plans to hire contractors with the Wagner Group to fight extremism in the Sahel, but insisted again that the private company is not operating under Moscow’s control. The remarks from Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov followed questions about the presence of Wagner…
France’s Castel Group, one of the largest wine producers in the world, says it will launch an investigation into claims that it paid armed group members to provide security for its operations in the Central African Republic. The company’s announcement follows an investigation by The Sentry, a human rights and…
The death toll from wildfires sweeping across parts of Algeria rose to 69 on Wednesday, according to a local official in the hard-hit district of Tizi Ouzou. Abdelkader Amrouche, the attorney general for the region, confirmed that the number included 20 soldiers who responded to the emergency when the fires…
Transitional president Bah N’Daw has resigned, according to Malian news sources. The resignation was presented to Assimi Goïta, the transitional vice president, during an emergency meeting with former Nigerian president Jonathan Goodluck and his delegation from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). Bah N’Daw has reportedly dissolved his…
Another 35 people have died in Chad following clashes in Salamat Province in the southeastern part of the country, a development that follows on this week’s regional security summit among the five Sahel nations and France. The communal fighting between farmers and herders began with an attack at a roadblock,…
France has announced the death of three soldiers serving with Operation Barkhane in Mali. Fighter 1st Class Dorian Issakhanian, left, along with Brigadier chief Tanerii Mauri and Fighter 1st Class Quentin Pauchet were identified after they were killed in a roadside improvised explosive device (IED) incident. The three served with…