Burkina Faso

Chad

Mali

Mauritania

Niger

Security

Military & Security

The Malian junta announced that it is pulling out of the G5 Sahel force, which is made up of troops from Chad, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger and Mauritania, Reuters reported May 15.

Mali: Junta Pulls Out of G5 Sahel Force

Algeria

Morocco

Supply Chains

Economics

Politics

Local authorities at the border community of Guerguerat between Morocco and Mauritania announced that commercial and civilian traffic will resume as usual through the border crossing for the first time in two years, Morocco World News reported Nov. 10.

Morocco: Guerguerat Border Crossing Reopened for all Traffic

Morocco has launched a military operation at the southern border of Western Sahara to “deter” against recent attacks by the Algeria-backed Polisario Front and end the group’s weeks-long blockade on trade between Moroccan-controlled areas of the disputed region and neighboring Mauritania, Al Jazeera reported Nov. 13. 

Morocco, Algeria: Rabat Deploys Troops to Western Sahara Border Zone

United Arab Emirates

The Suitors of Sub-Saharan Africa

The United Arab Emirates has agreed to provide Mauritania with $2 billion in funding for development projects and loans, Emirati state news agency WAM reported Feb. 2.

Mauritania: UAE Agrees to Invest $2 Billion in Development Projects, Loans

United States

The U.S. and the Balance of Power

The Jihadist Wars

The U.S. Defense Department is considering significantly reducing the number of U.S. forces in West Africa, including a possible total withdrawal, The New York Times reported Dec. 24, citing officials familiar with the deliberations.

U.S.: Pentagon Mulling West African Drawdown Amid Worsening Security Environment Across the Sahel

Senegal

Energy

Kosmos Energy has discovered significant natural gas reserves off the coast of Mauritania, which could host up to 50 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, Reuters reported Oct. 28.

Mauritania: Kosmos Energy Discovers Significant Offshore Natural Gas Reserves

Germany

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has arrived in Burkina Faso for a two-day trip to meet with regional leaders from Group of Five (G5) Sahel Force member countries, Reuters reported May 2.

Burkina Faso: Merkel Arrives for 2-Day Visit to Meet Regional Leaders

Old Leaders in a New Africa

Mauritania’s ruling party has named the country's current defense minister, Gen. Mohamed Ould Ghazouani, as its candidate for upcoming presidential elections in June, RFI reported March 2.

Mauritania: Ruling Party Selects Defense Minister as Presidential Candidate

Assessments

France

French soldiers patrol the streets of Gao, Mali, on Dec. 4, 2021. 

France’s updated military posture in the African region focuses on supporting national armies, especially Niger’s. But this is unlikely to offset the impact of Paris’ withdrawal from Mali. 

France’s New Approach to the Sahel: Preparing for Sustained Regional Instability

Sub-Saharan Africa

Europe

French soldiers patrol the Tofa Gala forest in the Sahel region of Africa.

The Difficulties of North African Reform

Escalating violence risks forcing France and its allies to rethink their counterterrorism efforts in the vast African warzone, as the question of whether foreign involvement can even improve the crumbling situation looms ever larger.

The West Offers Little Reprieve to the Sahel's Jihadist Battle

Saudi Arabia

Even after it receives the necessary funding, the G5 Sahel Force still has hills to climb. 

The multinational Group of Five Sahel Force is closer to reaching its funding goals, but it still has a long way to go and more obstacles to overcome.

In the Sahel, a Counterterrorism Force Fights for More Than Funding

Snapshots

Libya

African and Western governments are augmenting their security efforts against an expanding militant presence in Africa, but sustaining military operations in the most remote regions has proved a daunting task. 

Niger: Armed Drones Add to Struggling Counterterrorism Efforts

The G5 Sahel Force will not completely eliminate France's security role in the region anytime soon.

Mali: Africa's Newest Fighting Force Battles for Funding

Though branches of the Islamic State tend to garner the most publicity, the greater threat to military forces, aid workers, civilians and citizens of the Sahel comes from another military group: Jamaat Nusrat al Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM).

A recent terrorist attack drew Western media attention to Africa's Sahel region, but the incident offers only a small glimpse into the region's bigger problems with Islamist militancy.

The Surprising Suspects Behind an Islamist Ambush

The continent's Sahel region has long relied on the French military to support stabilization efforts. But with the creation of the G5 Sahel Force, Paris is hoping to slowly pass the baton to the African countries themselves.



 Has France Found an African Solution to an African Problem?

There's No Easy Way Out of Africa for French Forces

France may want to reduce its military presence in Africa's Sahel region in exchange for more economic engagement, but doing so will prove difficult.

Gambia

Guinea

Nigeria

So far, the incoming forces have met little resistance on their way to the country's capital.

Gambia: Senegalese, Nigerian Troops Invade To Unseat President

Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Abdelaziz

Though constitutionally required to step down in 2019, Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Abdelaziz may soon propose a reform that would allow him to extend his term. Unrest could spread beyond Mauritania's borders, destabilizing the country's equally weak Sahelian neighbors.

Mauritania's President Makes a Risky Gamble

Equatorial Guinea

Republic of the Congo

Uganda

Zambia

Zimbabwe

Cuba

Venezuela

Singapore

United Kingdom

Uzbekistan

Russia

Iran

Oman

Taking the Pulse of World Leaders

In many places, a country's security is inevitably intertwined with the health of its ruler.

Monitoring the Pulse of World Leaders

Algerian troops march during a military parade in Tripoli on September 1, 2009 to mark the 40th anniversary since Kadhafi seized power in the north African desert state. 

Despite its long-standing respect for other states' sovereignty, Algiers may have no choice but to militarily intervene in its neighbors' territory.

Pushing Algeria to the Limits of Nonintervention

The Islamic Republic of Mauritania is a West African country in the semiarid Sahel. It faces the Atlantic Ocean and is bordered by Senegal to the southwest, Mali to the southeast and east, Algeria to the northeast and the disputed Western Sahara to the northwest.    The country has an ancient past as part of the western trans-Saharan trade route and owes much of its social and cultural makeup to the Arab conquests of North Africa. The colonization of north and west Africa, mainly by France in the 19th and 20th centuries, also profoundly affected the large, sparsely populated territory.    Today, Mauritania is a weak country. For years, it has struggled with political crises among the elites, including several coups and attempted coups. State authority remains uneven outside the capital of Nouakchott, as regional and local elites often bargain for power with the country's political and military elites. Violent militant groups sometimes use its ungoverned spaces to the east and northeast for trafficking and travel.    For years, the country has had fragile economic growth, but it is now seeing an uptick in interest from international energy companies because of the proven natural gas and oil deposits off its coast. This has the potential to increase income for the cash-strapped government. How the elites manage any windfall will help determine the country's future.

SITUATION REPORTS

Mali: Junta Pulls Out of G5 Sahel Force

Morocco: Guerguerat Border Crossing Reopened for all Traffic

Morocco, Algeria: Rabat Deploys Troops to Western Sahara Border Zone

Mauritania: UAE Agrees to Invest $2 Billion in Development Projects, Loans

U.S.: Pentagon Mulling West African Drawdown Amid Worsening Security Environment Across the Sahel

Mauritania: Kosmos Energy Discovers Significant Offshore Natural Gas Reserves

Burkina Faso: Merkel Arrives for 2-Day Visit to Meet Regional Leaders

Mauritania: Ruling Party Selects Defense Minister as Presidential Candidate

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