Putin’s deal is simple but direct: he will stop the shelling of the beleaguered Ukrainian city of Mariupol only after they surrender to Russian forces. Putin Talks with French President Macron According to the Kremlin, the Russian strongman made this statement during an hour-long phone conversation with French President Emmanuel …

Mali’s army said Friday that it had killed 203 combatants in an operation in the center of Sahel state, an apparent uptick in violence in the conflict-torn country. The army said the March 23-31 military operation took place in Sahel’s Moura area, which it termed a “terrorist fiefdom.” Soldiers killed …

Mali’s junta-dominated government has taken delivery of combat helicopters from Russia to help its army fight a bloody jihadist insurgency, an AFP journalist saw. Defense Minister Sadio Camara late Wednesday formally received two helicopters, radar, and other equipment brought by a Russian transport plane to a military base at Bamako …

At least 50 fighters of the Islamic State of the West African Province (ISWAP), have been killed in an ambush by its affiliates, Jama’at Ahl as-Sunnah lid-Da’wah wa’l-Jihad faction of Boko Haram in the North East of Lake Chad, Borno State. The latest battle is part of a renewed war …

The U.N. Security Council voted unanimously Thursday to endorse the African Union’s new transitional mission in Somalia and authorized it to take action against al-Qaida and Islamic State extremist groups and conduct a phased handover of security responsibilities to Somalia’s government. The African Union Transitional Mission in Somalia, known as …

The U.N. secretary-general has called for Mali and its “bilateral partners” to respect their international obligations as concerns grow over human rights violations by the West African country’s military in its battle with jihadists. While acknowledging “widespread attacks by extremists,” Antonio Guterres told the U.N. Security Council that Mali’s counter-terrorism …

he leader of Georgia’s Moscow-backed separatist region of South Ossetia, Anatoly Bibilov, says the de facto independent territory is looking to hold a referendum on joining Russia, a move Tbilisi called “unacceptable.” Bibilov said in an interview with Russian state television on March 31 that South Ossetia was holding “consultations” …

Talks to stop the fighting in Ukraine resumed Friday, as another desperate attempt to rescue civilians from the shattered and encircled city of Mariupol failed and Russia accused the Ukrainians of launching a helicopter attack on a fuel depot on Russian soil. The governor of Russia’s Belgorod region, Vyacheslav Gladkov, …

Sufficient evidence now shows that most Finns want to join the NATO alliance, President Sauli Niinistö told Swedish-speaking broadcaster YLE on Wednesday after he had called for a broad survey for membership just one week ago. Support for NATO membership has now risen to 61%, a poll commissioned by newspaper …

General Eric Vidaud, France’s military intelligence chief, has been dismissed due to his department poorly analysing the run-up to Russia’s invasion and failing to predict the war correctly, AFP has reported. There were “insufficient briefings” and “a lack of mastery of the subjects”, a military source said, as reported by …