Africa

Sahel: Macron annonce la fin de l’opération Barkhane sous sa forme actuelle

Le président français a annoncé la fin de l’opération Barkhane « sous sa forme actuelle » et la « transformation profonde » de la présence militaire française au Sahel. C’était attendu, c’est désormais confirmé. Jeudi 10 juin, Emmanuel Macron a annoncé la fin de l’opération Barkhane « sous sa forme …

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With Shekau Dead, What is the Future of Jihad in West Africa?

ISWAP has killed Boko Haram leader and longtime nemesis, Abubakar Shekau, and seeks to take over his faction’s bases in Nigeria. With the potential collapse of Shekau’s Boko Haram faction, ISWAP will be less distracted from implementing its civilian-centric insurgency strategy. Some portion of Shekau’s remaining faction could defect to …

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Somaliland: The Power of Democracy

Spotlighting an African rarity: a poor but democratic nation. A dirty white, bullet-pocked house, without electricity and running water, does not merit a second glance in the town of Burao high in the east of Somaliland. Yet this former colonial governor’s residence, shaded by a giant acacia, was the site …

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Egyptian officials say IS militants abduct 5 people in Sinai

At least five Egyptians were abducted by Islamic State militants on Tuesday in the restive northern part of the Sinai Peninsula, security officials said. The five were driving to their workplace in the small town of Bir al-Abed when the militants from the Islamic State group stopped their vehicle and …

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Egyptian concerns grow amid Ethiopia’s plan to build dozens of dams

Ethiopia announced a plan to build dozens of additional dams at a time when tensions with Egypt and Sudan over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam are on the rise due to failure to agree on filling and operating the dam. Egypt has recently criticized the statements of Ethiopian Prime Minister …

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Ethiopia’s plan to build Red Sea military bases fuels tension with Egypt

Amid the stalled negotiations with Egypt over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, Ethiopia is expressing its intention to build military bases in the Red Sea. Ethiopia recently made fiery remarks that further fueled tensions with Egypt over the controversial dam Addis Ababa is building on the Blue Nile. On June …

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Eritrea blames the US for ‘destablisation’ in Ethiopia’s Tigray

Eritrea’s foreign minister accuses Biden administration of ‘stoking further conflict and destabilisation’ in Ethiopia’s north. Eritrea’s foreign minister has blamed US administrations that supported the Tigray People’s Liberation Movement (TPLF) for the last 20 years for the current conflict in northern Ethiopia’s Tigray region, adding that blaming Eritrea for the …

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Islamic State suicide bombing kills two in Libya

The Libyan civil war ended with a cease-fire in October of 2020, and a transitional government is now in power. An Islamic State (IS) suicide bombing left two people dead in Libya on Sunday. The explosion occurred at a checkpoint in the southwest city of Sabha, killing a police officer …

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Is Egypt planning to retake control of the Gaza Strip?

Entry of construction equipment first time Egypt has deployed in the coastal enclave it used to rule until 1967. Scenes of dozens of Egyptian bulldozers, cranes and trucks entering the Gaza Strip last Friday have left some Palestinians wondering whether Egypt is planning to return to the coastal enclave it …

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Hamas chief in Egypt for talks ahead of meeting of Palestinian factions

Egypt has tried in the past to foster cooperation between Palestinian factions that is seen as crucial to any wider efforts to promote peace in the region. Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh arrived in Cairo on Tuesday for the first in a series of talks this week between Egyptian authorities and …

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