Germany to Pull Troops From Mali by End 2023: Govt Source

Germany will end its participation in a UN peacekeeping mission in Mali by the end of next year, a government source told AFP on Wednesday after months of operational snags.

“By the end of 2023 at the latest, German soldiers are to end their involvement in the UN blue helmet mission MINUSMA,” the source said.

IntelBrief: French Withdrawal from Mali Leaves UN Peace Operation Vulnerable

Last Wednesday, November 9, French President Emmanuel Macron announced the end of Operation Barkhane, the counterterrorism operation established to address the jihadist threat in Mali.

The departure of French counterterrorism forces will leave the UN peace operation in Mali – the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) – increasingly vulnerable to terrorist attacks.

Somalia’s President Vows to Continue War on Al-Shabab

Somalia’s president has vowed to continue the war against al-Shabab militants in an address to lawmakers in which he also warned of also warned of looming famine in pasrts of the country.

Speaking at the opening of Somalia’s second session of parliament Tuesday, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud vowed to continue what he’s called “all-out war” against terrorism.

Ethiopia Peace Agreement Pledges Transitional Justice – Analysis

On 2 November, the Federal Government of Ethiopia and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front signed an agreement in Pretoria to end the two-year civil war in the country’s north. Besides committing to a permanent cessation of hostilities and restoration of constitutional order, the parties announced that the African Union’s (AU) 2019 Transitional Justice Policy (AUTJP) would accompany the deal.

Libya: TotalEnergies Increases Its Interest In Waha Concessions

TotalEnergies said Tuesday it has completed the joint acquisition with ConocoPhillips of the 8.16% interest held by Hess in the Waha concessions, in Libya. As a result of this transaction, TotalEnergies’ interest in these concessions is increased from 16.33% to 20.41%.

Egyptians: We Do Not Want the Islamists to Return to Power

The Islamists, in other words, failed in their latest attempt to instigate unrest and violence in Egypt with the hope of returning to power.

President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and many other Egyptians seem to prefer less democracy and freedom of speech to the return of the Islamists to power.