Mali

Germany has again suspended its reconnaissance patrols in eastern Mali that are part of a UN peacekeeping mission after failing to get flyover rights, the military said Monday. The permission is needed for flights between Gao, home to the German military’s main base in Mali, and Niamey, the capital of neighbouring Niger.

In place of the government, fighters from the Coordination of Azawad Movements take charge of maintaining security in the strategic town of Kidal.

The Sahel countries are facing the following dilemma: how to fight terrorism without the cooperation of that scourge epicenter ei Mali?

Militant Islamist group violence is accelerating in Mali, advancing a complex insurgency in north, central, and increasingly southern Mali that further threatens the country’s stability.

Germany has resumed reconnaissance patrols in eastern Mali as part of a UN peacekeeping mission, the military said Wednesday, after suspending the operations last month when the Malian government denied flyover rights.

Jihadists affiliated to the Islamic State group have seized a town in northern Mali after bitter fighting with local rebels and rival militants linked to Al-Qaeda, several sources said Wednesday.

Les responsables des juntes au pouvoir au Mali et au Burkina Faso, deux pays sahéliens en proie à des attaques de groupes islamistes, ont décidé de « renforcer leur partenariat militaire », a annoncé dimanche 4 septembre la présidence burkinabée.

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.