Bamako, Mali | AFP | An anti-terrorist raid by French forces at the end of last month left 11 imprisoned Malian soldiers dead, military sources said Sunday. The incident occurred in the northeastern Kidal region on October 23-24, after the Malian military had received proof that their soldiers, who had been …
Read More »Niger declares mourning after joint US patrol deaths
Niamey, Niger | AFP | Niger has declared three days of national mourning in memory of four of its soldiers killed alongside three US Green Berets in an ambush, state television said Friday. The joint patrol came under fire on Wednesday in southwestern Niger near the border with Mali, in what …
Read More »Three US Green Berets killed in Niger
Niamey, Niger | AFP | Three US Green Berets and an unknown number of Nigerien soldiers were killed in a clash on the Niger-Mali border, where Islamic State fighters have established a presence, officials from said Thursday. A joint US-Niger patrol fell into an ambush on Wednesday in the Tillaberi …
Read More »HRW accuses Mali, Burkina troops of sweeping rights abuses
Bamako, Mali | AFP | Malian and Burkinabe soldiers have killed, tortured and disappeared civilians while trying to root out jihadists in central Mali, Human Rights Watch said Friday. “Mali and Burkina Faso military operations to counter the growing presence of Islamist armed groups in central Mali have resulted in …
Read More »Bid for UN vote on Mali sanctions gains momentum
United Nations, United States | AFP | A bid for a UN Security Council vote early next week on a French-sponsored resolution that would set up a sanctions regime for Mali gained momentum Friday despite resistance from some countries, diplomats said. Russia and Ethiopia have voiced reservations over the proposal, raising …
Read More »Russia balks at France’s UN proposal for Mali sanctions
United Nations, United States | AFP | Russia on Friday voiced reservations over a French proposal to set up a UN sanctions regime for Mali to punish those who are obstructing a 2015 peace deal. France last month circulated a draft resolution to the UN Security Council on establishing a …
Read More »ICC rules jihadist liable for 2.7 mn euros for Timbuktu rampage
The Hague, Netherlands | AFP | War crimes judges said Thursday that a Malian jihadist was liable for 2.7 million euros in personal damages for destroying Timbuktu’s fabled shrines in 2012, as they ordered reparations in a landmark ruling. The International Criminal Court ordered that the victims of the razing …
Read More »Two UN peacekeepers killed in Mali helicopter crash
Bamako, Mali | AFP | Two German UN peacekeepers were killed Wednesday when their helicopter crashed as they were monitoring clashes in northern Mali, German and UN officials said. UN diplomats confirmed that the attack helicopter and the crew had been supplied by Germany to MINUSMA, the UN mission in Mali. “Sadly we …
Read More »Macron in Mali for diplomatic push on Sahel anti-jihad force
Bamako, Mali | AFP | French President Emmanuel Macron arrived in Mali on Sunday to consolidate Western backing for a regional anti-jihadist force, with France urging greater support for the Sahel region amid mounting insecurity. The so-called “G5 Sahel” countries just south of the Sahara — Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, …
Read More »Two dead as suspected jihadists attack Mali tourist resort
Bamako, Mali | AFP | Suspected jihadists crying “Allahu Akbar” stormed a tourist resort popular with foreigners on the edge of the Malian capital Bamako on Sunday, briefly seizing more than 30 hostages and leaving at least two people dead. The assault on the Kangaba Le Campement resort comes …
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