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North Africa

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US to withdraw troops from Niger by September

Washington intends to maintain its diplomatic presence at the embassy in Niamey to salvage its foothold of influence in the Sahel as well as limit Russia's military inroads in Africa.

Protesters react as a man holds up a sign demanding that soldiers from the United States Army leave Niger without negotiation during a demonstration in Niamey, on April 13, 2024. Thousands of people demonstrated on April 13, 2024 in Niger's capital Niamey to demand the immediate departure of American soldiers based in northern Niger, after the military regime said it was withdrawing from a 2012 cooperation deal with Washington. (Photo by AFP) (Photo by -/AFP via Getty Images)

Pentagon confirms talks to withdraw US troops from Niger

Washington failed to reach a compromise with junta leaders in Niamey, as Russia continues to make gains across the Sahel.

The last French soldiers board a French military plane to leave Niger for good, at the French base which was handed over to the Nigerien army, in Niamey on December 22, 2023. The last French troops withdrew from Niger on December 22, 2023, marking an end to more than a decade of French anti-jihadist operations in west Africa's Sahel region, AFP saw and Niger's military announced. The French exit from Niger leaves hundreds of US military personnel, and a number of Italian and German troops, remaining in the

What Niger-US rupture says about Russia and West's shaky future in Sahel

Niger’s decision to suspend military cooperation with the United States follows rising anti-Western sentiment in the region.

A French soldier of the operation Barkhane, an anti-terrorist mission in Sahel, patrols as a tiger helicopter operates a tactical flight on March 12, 2016 in Mali. France's Barkhane counter-terror mission comprises at least 3,500 soldiers deployed across five countries (Mauritania, Mali, Niger, Chad and Burkina Faso) with a mandate to combat jihadist insurgencies in the region.

US aims to keep troops in Niger despite junta decision on ending counterterrorism ties

Niger’s ruling military junta announced Saturday it was cutting ties with US special operations forces, threatening to undermine a key point of US influence as Russia expands its military foothold across Central Africa.

Latest News

2023 in review: From Sudan to Syria, here are Mideast's forgotten conflicts

Smoke plumes billow from a fire at a lumber warehouse in southern Khartoum amidst ongoing fighting on June 7, 2023. Eight weeks of fighting have pitted Sudan's army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan against his former deputy Mohamed Hamdan Daglo -- commonly known as Hemeti -- who commands the powerful paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). A number of broken ceasefires have offered brief lulls but no respite for residents of Khartoum, where witnesses again reported "the sound of heavy artillery fire" in the ca

What failure of Nile dam talks means for Egypt and Ethiopia

Third Nile Cataract, Sudan, 29 Dec. 29, 2022.

Breaking

Last Updated: December 6, 2023, 4:28 pm

US says Sudanese armed forces, RSF rebels committed war crimes

This image grab taken from AFPTV video footage on April 20, 2023, shows an aerial view of black smoke rising above the Khartoum International Airport amid ongoing battles between the forces of two rival generals.

Senior US official welcomes pressure on UAE over alleged Sudan arms transfers

TOPSHOT - A man stands by as a fire rages in a livestock market area in al-Fasher, the capital of Sudan's North Darfur state, on September 1, 2023, in the aftermath of bombardment by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The conflict between Sudan's army under General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the RSF commanded by Mohamed Hamdan Daglo spread in late August 2023 to North Darfur state, with at least 27 localities burned down by the RSF and allied Arab militias, according to the Humanitarian Research L

A picture taken on January 14, 2023, shows the Kingdom Centre tower in the Saudi capital Riyadh. (Photo by Giuseppe CACACE / AFP) (Photo by GIUSEPPE CACACE/AFP via Getty Images)

IMF dims 2023 Middle East outlook as Saudi Arabia's growth slows

The International Monetary Fund's projections for the Middle East and North Africa are down slightly in its latest report.

A Royal Moroccan Air Force CH-47 Chinook military helicopter takes off during the second annual "African Lion" military exercise in the Tan-Tan region in southwestern Morocco on June 30, 2022. (Photo by FADEL SENNA / AFP) (Photo by FADEL SENNA/AFP via Getty Images)

Supply and demand: North African military expenditures raise stakes for global defense suppliers

North Africa features three countries that rank among the world’s top 30 arms importers, but the region currently lacks any significant arms exporters.

A man holds the Russian national flag in front of a Wagner group military vehicle with the sign read as "Rostov" in Rostov-on-Don late on June 24, 2023. Rebel mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin who sent his fighters to topple the military leaders in Moscow will leave for Belarus and a criminal case against him will be dropped as part of a deal to avoid "bloodshed," the Kremlin said on June 24. (Photo by STRINGER / AFP) (Photo by STRINGER/AFP via Getty Images)

UK sanctions 13 Wagner-linked firms and officials in Sudan, CAR, Mali

The mercenary group has been operating across Africa for many years, exploiting the continent's natural resources and providing military support for its own financial gain.

The Horn of Africa

An aerial view shows a Moroccan flag measuring 60,000 square metres (645,835 square foot) and weighing 20 tonnes in the town of Dakhla, on May 8, 2010. The flag is an attempt to beat the record for the World's largest flag, a record which is currently held by Israel. AFP PHOTO/AIDA (Photo by AFP) (Photo by -/AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

Israel-Morocco security ties set to deepen after Western Sahara recognition

The last two years have seen a quantum leap in the security and strategic cooperation between Israel and Morocco.

Rina Bassist

By Rina Bassist

In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs

Ons Jabeur of Tunisia stretches to make a forehand against Aryna Sabalenka in the Women's Singles Semi Finals on day eleven of The Championships Wimbledon 2023 at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 13, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)

Breaking | Last Updated: July 15, 2023, 12:44 pm

Tunisia’s Ons Jabeur falls short at Wimbledon final, loses to Vondrousova

Jabeur, who has a massive following across North Africa and the Middle East, is still seeking her first Grand Slam win after falling short at Wimebledon for the second year in a row.

Basra Oil Company's Director General Bassem Abdul Karim (R).

In Iraq and Algeria, TotalEnergies signs major deals

The deal between Iraq and TotalEnergies has been delayed for years and aims to help Iraq fix its longstanding power issues.

A Moroccan farmer walks past solar panels that are connected to a generator which feeds a pump extracting water from underground in Tafoughalt, a little village deep in the mountains of Morocco's eastern Berkane province, on October 31, 2016. As the Cop22 gets underway in Marrakesh, negotiators are thrashing out the details of a landmark global agreement designed to stave off disastrous climate change, but in Tafoughalt that impact is being felt already. Rising temperatures are among the factors making the

How North Africa’s renewable energy regulations can boost FDI

Foreign investors and institutions are showing serious interest in North Africa’s renewable energy industry, but regulations remain key.

Parliament Speaker Rachid Talbi Alami (R) shows Israel's Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana the parliament building in Rabat, Morocco, June 8, 2023.

Analysis

Will Israel recognize Morocco's sovereignty over Western Sahara?

Visiting Rabat officially for the first time, Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana said that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is considering recognizing the kingdom’s sovereignty over the disputed region.

Rina Bassist

By Rina Bassist

In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs

A farmer inspects plants in a cannabis field in the village of Azila in Morocco's Ketama region at the foot of the marginalised and underdeveloped mountainous region of Rif on September 16, 2022. - High in the hills of northern Morocco, vast cannabis fields are ready for harvest, but farmers complain that a government plan to market the crop legally is a slow burner. The marginalised region has long been a major source of illicit hashish smuggled to Europe while Moroccan authorities, wary of social unrest,

Morocco's share in formal cannabis market to remain minimal despite reforms

There are questions as to whether local dynamics in the cannabis-growing region and the prospect of international competition could stunt the government’s attempts to make Morocco a powerhouse for the export of legal cannabis.

Harry Clynch

In London, reporting on Middle East economics

People form a convoy as they celebrate in support of the Sudanese armed forces in Khartoum on May 12, 2023.

Sudan: 280 killed as fighting rages in West Darfur

The conflict in war-torn Geneina is ethnic in dimension and predates the current conflict between the Sudanese armed forces and the rebel Rapid Support Forces.

Arab League ambassadors gather for an emergency meeting in Cairo on April 5, 2023,

Arab League calls emergency meeting on crisis in Sudan, readmitting Syria

The Arab League will address Syria's readmittance to the alliance and the ongoing violence in Sudan.

Israel desalination

Morocco uses ties with Israel to improve water, food security

As Morocco battles water and food insecurity, Israel is becoming a strategic partner, with a number of sustainable solutions reflected in recent deals.