Mali

At least 50 civilians were killed during a military operation conducted by Mali's army and "foreign troops" on April 19, the United Nations said in a report on Wednesday.

Russia is exploiting weaknesses in Europe’s relationships with states across Africa. Germany will need to set a precedent in Mali if it is to respond to this challenge effectively.

The Malian military government has appointed a colonel, Abdoulaye Maiga, as the interim replacement for the country’s civilian prime minister, who has been admitted to hospital. Maiga is also the government spokesman as well as its minister of territorial administration and decentralisation.

Halfway through 2022, the crisis in the Sahel continues to worsen. … 2022 is on track to be the deadliest year for both Burkina Faso and Mali since the Sahel crisis began more than a decade ago. 

Malian Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Diop said in a letter to the Chinese presidency of the UN Security Council on Monday that France was committing “acts of aggression.”

Mali's foreign affairs minister, Abdoulaye Diop, has accused the French military command of breaching Malian airspace to collect information and drop arms and ammunition to Islamist militants, in a letter to the UN.

The French military said the withdrawal of its forces from Mali has been completed after more than eight years of presence in the West African country.

UN troop rotations in the peacekeeping mission in Mali (MINUSMA) resumed on Monday with a new approval mechanism one month after they were suspended by the ruling junta, which accused 49 Ivorian soldiers of entering the country without permission. 

German Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht said in a statement that because Malian leaders of the U.N. mission to Mali, MINUSMA, denied overflight rights, the German mission must stop all reconnaissance and transport operations until further notice.

Mali’s military government has received several fighter jets and helicopters from Russia, which has become a close and controversial ally in its fight against Islamist militants.