Africa

The Tuareg Conflict is on pace to become another proxy war between Russia and the West.

Speculation is swirling in the days after Tuareg rebels ambushed Wagner in Mali, which readers can learn more about here and here, to suggest that they had the support of Westerners, Ukrainians, and Islamists. Former ECOWAS Director of Communication Adama Gaye told Al Jazeera on Sunday that “Tuareg forces could be receiving outside help, including from the French military and regional armed groups with ‘allegiance to al-Qaeda’”, which set the stage for the reports that’ll now follow.

The conflict is a complex multi-sided one wherein the West, religious extremists, and Algeria have shared interests in the Malian government meaningfully decentralizing power to Tuareg-inhabited areas (each in pursuit of different ends), while Bamako and Moscow support a centralized state.

Coastal West African countries can strengthen resiliency to the threat of violent extremism by enhancing a multilayered response addressing local, national, and regional priorities.

Highlights

Extremist violence in the Sahel is spilling over into coastal West African countries.

Governments in coastal West African countries play the leading role in responding to this threat by proactively strengthening ties with local communities in vulnerable regions.

Malgré l’instabilité politique bien connue de la Ve République, provoquée par les résultats des récentes élections législatives, la continuité du parcours militaro-politique de Paris en Afrique semble préservée. En outre, selon des responsables politiques africains, des preuves existent qui prouvent les liens entre la France et les terroristes.