Africa

As terrorist groups expand in the Sahel, is Algeria the missing link?

Over the past two years, the steady expansion of terrorist and fundamentalist threats in the Sahel has not gotten the attention it deserves given the region’s repeated military coups and political turmoil. Due to the apparent contagion effect of military coups, the political instability in the Sahel has resulted in a regional and international focus on electoral timetables and constitutional rule while overlooking the rise of terrorist groups, which continue to gain ground and menace the very existence of Sahel countries.

Récupérer les revenus d’al Shabaab

Pour couper les revenus annuels d’al Shabaab, estimés à 100 millions de dollars et générés par les extorsions, il faudra rétablir l’intégrité des agences financières, judiciaires et de renseignement compromises de la Somalie.

Expulsion of 7,000 Migrants From Algeria Puts Pressure on Niger

Since January several flows of emigrants expelled by Algerian authorities have been constantly arriving in the town of Assamaka.

Niger Interior Minister Hamadou Amadou Souley fears the emergence of a humanitarian crisis in Assamaka, a town where 7,172 sub-Saharan migrants expelled by Algeria are stranded.

South Sudan’s Fragile Peace Imperiled By Chaos Across The Border In Sudan – Analysis

The government of South Sudan has expressed deep concern over the fighting in neighboring Sudan, which it fears could spill across the border and threaten its fragile peace process.

The conflict between the Sudanese army and a paramilitary group in Khartoum has raised concerns about the potential for a full-fledged civil war, which could affect neighboring South Sudan.

Generals in Their Labyrinth

The conflict in Sudan is multidimensional, and could generate instability that spreads to the broader region.

Since April 15, fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) across Sudan, especially in the capital Khartoum, has left more than 450 people dead and over 4,000 injured. The fighting erupted after months of tensions between the leaders of both forces, the SAF’s General Abdel-Fattah al-Burhan, who is also the head of Sudan’s Transitional Sovereignty Council, and the RSF’s commander, General Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, better known as “Hemedti,” who is the council’s deputy head.

Commentary: “Who Thinks Wins”: How Smarter U.S. Counterterrorism in the Sahel Can Pay Dividends for Great Power Competition

Abstract: The United States is at a critical juncture as it looks to adapt its counterterrorism mission. Nowhere is this more evident than in the Sahel region of Africa, where for the past decade, the United States has relied on France to serve as the counterterrorism lead. Those days are over, at least for now, and the United States is left attempting to balance its counterterrorism efforts in the frame of great power competition. However, too often these two strategic objectives are cast as zero-sum. In reality, U.S. counterterrorism in the Sahel, if appropriately reassessed, designed, and implemented, can generate real wins for the United States as it seeks to counter Russian and Chinese influence in the region. Additionally, and most importantly, it can improve the prospects for stability and security for African states in desperate need of both.

Gold, Arms, And Islam: Understanding The Conflict In Sudan – Analysis

Sudan ended over a quarter-century of Islamist-military rule with the 2019 overthrow of President Omar al-Bashir, whose rule was based on Islamism, Arab supremacy, and the ruthless application of military power. A joint civilian-military government was formed to lead the transition to a civilian-led democracy. However, an October 2021 coup led by Sudan’s military and security forces ended all progress toward civilian rule, severing at the same time most of Sudan’s economic and financial ties to the West.

Autour du Soudan, un jeu géopolitique risqué

L’Egypte et les puissances du Golfe, qui appellent aujourd’hui à la désescalade, ont nourri les ambitions des deux généraux qui s’affrontent à Khartoum, Al-Bourhane et Hemetti.

L’onde de choc de la guerre au Soudan a déjà dépassé les frontières du pays. Un vent d’inquiétude souffle désormais chez ses voisins, mêlé à un embarras croissant, sur fond d’exode des populations. Par la mer Rouge à l’est, par l’Ethiopie au sud, comme par l’Egypte au nord ou en traversant la frontière ouest avec le Tchad, des dizaines de milliers de civils cherchent à fuir les combats.

Depuis le 15 avril, toutes les tentatives de faire cesser les affrontements entre les forces armées soudanaises (FAS), menées par le général Abdel Fattah Al-Bourhane, et les paramilitaires des Forces de soutien rapide (FSR), dirigées par le général Mohammed Hamdan Daglo, dit « Hemetti », ont échoué. Les pertes civiles s’aggravent chaque jour, dépassant les cinq cents morts et plusieurs milliers de blessés, selon le ministère de la santé soudanais.

Désormais, les puissances régionales multiplient les offres de médiation. Mais cette attitude masque difficilement le jeu dangereux auquel elles se sont livrées après la chute d’Omar Al-Bachir, en 2019, en soutenant les deux militaires, au détriment des aspirations démocratiques de la population. Les appels à la désescalade lancés par l’Egypte, les Emirats arabes unis (EAU) et l’Arabie saoudite sonnent particulièrement faux aux oreilles des Soudanais, nombreux à considérer ces trois pays comme une partie du problème et non de la solution.