Africa

Mapping the future of drug markets in West Africa – Synthetics, cocaine, criminal money, and strategic responses

The high-level dialogue “Mapping the future of drug markets in West Africa – Synthetics, cocaine, criminal money, and strategic responses”, jointly convened by the Government of Ghana, the Government of the Netherlands, and the GI-TOC, marks a critical step in bringing together key stakeholders to drive forward a more effective and cohesive response to drug markets – particularly cocaine and synthetic drugs – which represent an urgent and complex public health, security, and human rights challenge in West Africa and beyond. This dialogue, which took place in Accra, Ghana, on 27 and 28 November 2025, comes at a critical juncture: West Africa’s – and the global – marketplace for illicit drugs is changing, and there is much debate about appropriate responses.

The State of al Qaeda and ISIS in 2025

The Salafi-jihadi threat persists across Africa, the Middle East, and into Asia. Al Qaeda– and Islamic State–affiliated groups are engaged in local conflicts and have sought ways to strengthen on the ground within popular insurgencies. Their focus on expanding in the Muslim world has not replaced aspirations to strike the West, however. Those groups that once demonstrated or sought to develop transnational attack capabilities still seek to target the United States and Europe, creating an ongoing requirement for counterterrorism activities.

TIMELINE: Guinea-Bissau joins a list of recent coups in West Africa

Coups and their aftermath also fractured ECOWAS as they led to the creation of the Alliance for Sahel States (AES) by three junta-led West African states.

Guinea-Bissau has become the latest West African country to experience a coup, bringing the tally of such incidents in the sub-region since the turn of the decade to 10.

Mali : Barrick Mining paiera 430 millions pour résoudre un différend sur les mines d’or

La société minière canadienne Barrick Mining Corporation a accepté de verser 430 millions de dollars au Mali pour mettre un terme à un différend de longue date concernant la propriété des mines d’or de Loulo et Gounkoto, a annoncé mardi Bloomberg.

Tant Barrick que le gouvernement malien ont confirmé, dans des communiqués séparés, qu’un accord avait été conclu, mettant ainsi fin à toutes les procédures judiciaires en cours. Cependant, ni la société ni l’exécutif malien n’ont précisé les détails financiers de l’accord.