Présence militaire française en Afrique : le problème ne se limite pas au Niger

Après deux mois de bras de fer avec les autorités nigériennes issues du putsch du 26 juillet, que Paris s’obstine à ne pas reconnaitre, Emmanuel Macron a enfin annoncé un calendrier de retrait pour les 1500 militaires français basés au Niger, où ils étaient restés présents dans un cadre juridique inédit depuis la fin officielle de l’opération Barkhane. L’association Survie, qui n’a eu de cesse d’alerter sur l’effet contre-productif et vain de la «guerre contre le terrorisme» à la française, rappelle que l’enjeu est plus large : c’est l’ensemble des militaires français présents sur le continent (bases permanentes, forces «de partenariat» au Tchad, coopérants militaires) que l’Élysée doit rapatrier en France.

Buletin săptămânal Balcanii de Vest

Se mențin tensionate relațiile dintre Serbia și Kosovo, înregistrându-se violențe semnificative care au avut ca rezultat victime umane.

  1. Noi conflicte etnice care tensionează și mai mult situația în nordul Kosovo și sensibilizează semnificativ situația generală din întreaga regiune a Balcanilor de Vest

În dimineața zilei de 24 septembrie (la ora 3 a.m.), un grup de 30 de sârbi înarmați au atacat o patrulă de poliție kosovară în apropierea satului Banjska (conform unui recensământ efectuat în 2011, ar avea o populație de 465 de locuitori), unul dintre polițiști fiind ucis și un altul rănit. Banjska este un sat situat în regiunea orașului Zvečan, una din cele patru municipalități majoritar sârbe din nordul Kosovo, la 55 de kilometri nord de capitala Priștina. În zona din jurul Mitrovica, din nordul Kosovo, locuiește cea mai mare parte a minorității etnice sârbe din Kosovo.

La «géométrie variable» de Blinken pour une nouvelle guerre froide

La semaine dernière, le secrétaire d’État Blinken, dans un discours prononcé à l’université Johns Hopkins, a déclaré sans ambages :

«Ce à quoi nous sommes confrontés n’est pas un test de l’ordre de l’après-guerre froide. Les pays et les citoyens perdent confiance dans l’ordre économique international – leur confiance est ébranlée par des failles systémiques… Plus ces disparités persistent, plus elles alimentent la méfiance et la désillusion des gens, qui ont le sentiment que le système ne leur donne pas une chance équitable».

India-Middle East-Europe corridor: How feasible is it?

While Türkiye has announced the project cannot happen without its cooperation, experts also warn the new Western-led project could entail a number of logistical issues and comes amid escalating tensions between the US and China..

On September 9, amid the G20 leaders’ summit hosted in India, the US, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), France, Germany, Italy, and the EU signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to construct an economic rail and shipping corridor linking Europe, the Middle East and India.

IntelBrief: Jihadist Groups Threaten to Destabilize the Sahel and Coastal West Africa

As terrorist groups continue destabilizing the Sahel region in sub-Saharan Africa, violence has spilled over into coastal West African states previously unaffected, including Benin, Cote d’Ivoire, Togo, and Ghana.

The Wagner Group is active in several sub-Saharan countries, where its role as a guarantor of regime security has granted it outsized access to and influence within the region.

IntelBrief: Tensions Along Lebanese Border a Microcosm of Regional Flashpoints

Tensions continue to rise along the Lebanese border, centered around the town of Ghajar, a disputed area that straddles Lebanon and Syrian territory captured and occupied by Israel in 1967.

What seems to be unfolding as a controlled escalation, deterring all sides from a more intense conflagration, could give way to all-out conflict, a situation most of the belligerents would like to avoid.

IntelBrief: Iranian Drones Empower Hezbollah and Other Allies

Iran is equipping its regional allies with sophisticated armed unmanned aerial systems (UAS) – drones – to help them project power on Tehran’s behalf against shared adversaries.

In June and July, Lebanese Hezbollah used Iran-supplied aerial surveillance drones to signal its opposition to Israel’s development of offshore natural gas fields in disputed waters.

IntelBrief: Islamic State Khorasan Remains a Stubborn Threat in Afghanistan

General Michael Kurilla, head of United States Central Command (CENTCOM), has suggested that at its current trajectory, Islamic State Khorasan (ISK) would be able to conduct external operations within approximately six months.

Since the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in August 2021, counterterrorism analysts have warned about the growing threat of ISK, especially in light of the U.S. troop withdrawal and limited human intelligence assets in areas where ISK and other terrorist groups operate.

Africa: Carving the Golden Goose

Africa today consists of 56 different experiences in nation-building with some remarkable successes and many inevitable failures. In many African countries a new player has entered the game: a younger generation that is better educated, more ambitious and, at the same time, less gullible than its ancestors in the 19th century who looked away while imperial powers carved the golden goose.