Africa

Is Wagner Pivoting Back to Africa?

Ukraine Isn’t the Only Place Where America Must Counter Russia’s Mercenaries

Russia’s infamous Wagner paramilitary company may be headed for defeat in Ukraine. The group has sustained enormous losses in the last five months, and its leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, is embroiled in a high-stakes feud with Russia’s top military brass, who have accused him of indirectly aiding Ukraine by “sowing rifts” among Russian forces. Late last week, Prigozhin publicly castigated Russia’s senior military leadership for not supplying Wagner with enough ammunition and threatened to withdraw his forces from the city of Bakhmut. According to the British Ministry of Defense, the Kremlin may be looking to replace the Wagner contingent in Ukraine with forces from another private military company—one that it can more tightly control.

Sudan: Fighting Forces 130,000 Refugees to Seek Safety in Ethiopia

Thousands of Sudanese refugees fleeing the conflict in Sudan are expected to arrive in Ethiopia, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) announced.

It anticipates the arrival of up to 130,000 refugees, including 100,000 Ethiopians and the remainder being foreign nationals.

Au Sahel, l’émir Iyad Ag-Ghali toujours vivant, toujours influent, toujours traqué

Depuis 2020, l’émir du Groupe de soutien à l’islam et aux musulmans (GSIM) doit faire face à la branche sahélienne de l’Etat islamique.

Ce sera peut-être son dernier combat, après tant de coups de feu tirés dans toutes les directions. Depuis quarante ans, Iyad Ag-Ghali s’est successivement battu pour la légion islamique de Mouammar Kadhafi au Liban et au Tchad, pour la cause touareg au sein des rébellions apparues dans le nord du Mali au tournant des années 1990, pour le compte d’Al-Qaida afin d’imposer une conception salafiste de la charia – la loi islamique – dans son pays et au-delà, contre les soldats des opérations militaires françaises « Serval », « Sabre » et « Barkhane ».

Au Sahel, le groupe Etat islamique étend sa prédation

Les djihadistes affiliés à l’EI et leurs rivaux d’Al-Qaida se disputent le contrôle de la zone « des trois frontières » aux confluences du Mali, du Burkina et du Niger.

Au prix de combats sanglants, de massacres et de déplacements de civils, le groupe Etat islamique au Grand Sahara (EIGS) est désormais en position de force dans le nord-est du Mali, qui sert de base à ses visées expansionnistes au Niger et au Burkina Faso, selon des analystes.

Sudan Conflict Worsening Humanitarian Crisis – WFP

The United Nations has issued a warning that the ongoing conflict in Sudan has the potential to result in a severe humanitarian crisis, with millions of people requiring urgent assistance.

According to the World Food Programme (WFP), the conflict has put an additional 2.5 million people at risk of starvation, bringing the total number of individuals experiencing acute food insecurity to a staggering 19 million.

Sudan’s Cyber War

Beneath the visible, physical fighting, another war is raging online.

In April 2023, conflict erupted again in Sudan, pitting the Sudanese armed forces against the Rapid Support Forces, RSF, a paramilitary group that is loyal to the deputy head of Sudan’s ruling council. By April 17, three days after things first escalated in Khartoum, more than 180 people had died, 1,800 were injured, and at the moment, many more have been forced to move, some to hostile regions.

Sudan’s Two Truths

Amidst a flurry of international voices working to mediate the crisis in Sudan, the United States must not allow Sudanese civil society to be drowned out.

As rival security forces continue vying for power in Sudan by terrorizing its population, the prospects for an end to the crisis seem to grow more distant by the day. The “pre-negotiation talks” in Saudi Arabia hold only a tenuous promise of the most minimal steps toward easing the suffering. Most indicators point toward continued fighting, and the stream of bad news and failed ceasefires can make it seem as though an even deeper crisis is inevitable. But there are two important truths about Sudan that analysts and policymakers should keep front and center in the weeks ahead to point the way forward.

MEMRI Vice President Ambassador Alberto Fernandez: America Should Have Acted Against The Warring Generals In Sudan After The 2021 Military Coup; An Islamist Regime Might Rise To Power Again

MEMRI Vice President Ambassador Alberto Fernandez said in a May 2, 2023 interview with Alsyaaq (UAE) that the U.S. is partly responsible for the current armed clashes in Sudan because it failed to take measures against the two warring generals after the military coup in 2021. He said that the U.S. is leaning in favor of the Sudanese military in this conflict because it prefers “established institutions” and because the opposing Rapid Support Forces may be aligned with Russia and Wagner PMC. In addition, he warned that an Islamist regime may rise to power, particularly because the army is connected to Islamists who have been exiled to Turkey. Ambassador Fernandez served as charge d’affaires of the U.S. Embassy in Khartoum, Sudan, between 2007 and 2009. The interview was published on Alsyaaq’s YouTube channel.

Sudan: Warring Factions to Hold Direct Talks

After three weeks of fighting, envoys of Sudan’s rival generals traveled to Saudi Arabia for “pre-negotiation talks” on Saturday. Meanwhile, aid shipments have started arriving. DW has the latest.

Representatives from the warring Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary were in the Saudi port city of Jeddah on Saturday, with the two expected to start direct talks on securing an actual cease-fire.