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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

Here are the biggest Middle East disclosures in the leaked intel docs

Turkey, Israel and the United Arab Emirates are among the Middle East countries named in a major leak of classified US intelligence documents.

ASHRAF SHAZLY/AFP via Getty Images

Syria, Tunisia to reopen embassies as Arab thaw grows with Assad

Syria continues to reconcile with countries across the Arab world.

Algeria oil field

Sonatrach announces six new oil discoveries in Algeria

The state-owned oil company made several discoveries in the first quarter of this year.

This photo shows the M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) firing during the Combined Arms Live Fire Exercise (CALFEX) as part of the annual naval exercises between the Philippine Marine Corps and US Marine Corps at Capas, Tarlac province on October 13, 2022. (Photo by JAM STA ROSA / AFP) (Photo by JAM STA ROSA/AFP via Getty Images)

Breaking | Last Updated: April 13, 2023, 7:28 am

US approves $524 million HIMARS artillery sale to Morocco

The proposed sale, which also includes guided air-to-ground bombs, comes as Morocco draws closer to the United States and rival Algeria pursues stronger ties with Russia.

Analysis

Experts pour cold water on Tunisia BRICS ‘bid,’ as country rejects IMF

Experts say economic reforms and stronger anti-Western credentials are needed before the North African country could be seriously considered to join the five-member bloc.

In Bristol, reporting on regional business, climate change, AI, tech

Tunisia

Analysis

Tunisia's problems grow worse while Kais Saied avoids public

When President Kais Saied reappeared recently after a two-week absence, he addressed a country whose political, economic and immigration woes grow steadily more intractable.

Gilles Kepel

By Gilles Kepel

Morocco lgbt

In Morocco, YouTube is one tool to attack LGBTQ, vulnerable communities

After a Moroccan content creator targeted the transgender community, the damaging videos were left on YouTube for two weeks before being removed.

Egyptian man looks at Qatari LNG carrier

Analysis

North Africa diesel exports to Europe surge as Russia digs deeper into Ukraine

Europe has been looking for alternative sources of oil and gas in light of Western sanctions on Russia over the Ukraine war.

In Bristol, reporting on regional business, climate change, AI, tech

AI middle east

Is the Middle East ready for its AI breakthrough?

Many Middle East governments see AI as an essential catalyst for growth and diversification, but the region’s aspirations have yet to materialize. This new Pro Trend Report takes a deep dive into the feasibility of regional AI strategies.

wimmers enter the water in the Bosphorus strait in Istanbul's Bebek district on July 29, 2022. - Istanbul, a historic megalopolis of 16 million people resting between two continents and two sea, does not bring to mind immediate images of a beach resort. But just like the locals of New York, Beirut and a handful of other global cities, Istanbulites can swim all summer long and return home on the metro with salt layering their skin, sand trapped under their sandals. (Photo by Ozan KOSE / AFP) (Photo by OZAN K

Tunis, Istanbul top Middle East city rankings for 'mindful travelers'

Nine cities from the broader Middle East and North Africa region, including four in Turkey, made it into a ranking of the world's top cities for “mindful travelers."

KABIL BOUSENA/AFP via Getty Images

House Democrats warn Saied's crackdown risks US-Tunisia relationship

In a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken, a group of 20 Democratic lawmakers expressed concern over a wave of politically motivated arrests in Tunisia.

An Algerian flag is displayed on a small boat used by migrants to cross The Alboran Sea, in an open-air warehouse in Almeria, southeast Spain, on October 15, 2021. - At least 309 migrants, 13 of them minors, have died in the western Mediterranean since the start of the year, figures from the International Organization for Migration (IOM) show. The number of Algerians arriving on the coast of southeastern Spain or the Balearic Isles has soared in recent months. A confidential document compiled by the Spanish

Algeria disbands migrant smuggling network to Europe, arrests nine Syrians

The arrest of the network coincided with a migrant boat capsizing off the coast of Tunisia, killing five people.