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Violent Extremism in the Sahel

Gunmen Kill Twelve in Attacks on Nigerien Farmers

  • The unidentified assailants reportedly fired indiscriminately on farmers working in their fields in Niger’s Tillaberi region; the military will step up its presence in the area in response (AFP)

UK Announces New Sanctions on Wagner-Linked Entities in Africa

  • The sanctions target people and businesses that the UK government believes are linked to the Russian Wagner Group in Mali, the Central African Republic, and Sudan, where the private military company is accused of executions, torture, and threats to peace (Bloomberg)

Ten Civilians Killed in Burkina Faso Attacks

  • Burkina Faso’s junta leader lambasted jihadist rebels today, blaming them for rockets that hit the western town of Nouna yesterday, killing six; a separate alleged terrorist attack killed four in the village of Tondoura (VOA)

Attack Kills Five, Injures Nineteen in Southwestern Niger

  • The suspected terrorists attacked paramilitary police escorting a convoy along the Burkina Faso border, an area where thousands have fled violence; seven of the victims were civilians (VOA)

Two Top Islamic State Jihadists Arrested in Niger

  • The two highly sought-after Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS) members were detained in joint Nigerien-French operations in the Tillaberi region near the Burkina Faso border (France 24)

Egypt Sends Heavy Weapons, Armored Vehicles to Niger

  • The thirty vehicles and thousands of weapons are intended to help Niger fight terrorist groups; the shipment comes days after the European Union announced plans to send lethal aid to Niger (Egypt Independent)

Extremists Kill Twenty-Two in Pair of Burkina Faso Attacks

  • Four members of the volunteer militia were killed in the first attack on the western village of Fo, and sixteen more volunteer fighters, along with two civilians, were killed in an attack the next day near the northern town of Boulsa; the military said the militants also suffered losses (AFP)

UN Convoy Attacked in Northern Mali

  • According to MINUSMA, which recently announced it will withdraw from Mali at the government’s request, armed militants opened fire on the logistics convoy as it headed toward the city of Gao (AFP)

Militants Kill Fifteen Civilians in Burkina Faso

  • The attack by suspected jihadis in Gnagna province prompted residents to flee the eastern town of Sorgha (VOA)

Mali Reshuffles Government After Constitutional Referendum

  • One of the most noteworthy changes was the departure of a representative of the Coordination des Mouvements de l’Azawad, an alliance of former northern rebels, as tensions rise between that party and the military (Africa News)

Burkina Faso Suspends French News Channel

  • The military junta, which has already cracked down on other French news agencies, said one of the channel’s reports overstated both the strength of jihadist insurgents and the failures of the military (Reuters)
  • Meanwhile, civilian casualties are on the rise in Burkina Faso as both sides commit war crimes in the government’s “total war” on militant groups (Guardian)

Russian FM: Wagner Presence Up to African Leaders

  • Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said it is for African leaders to decide whether they continue cooperating with the Wagner Group following its failed mutiny against the Russian military; he said that more than half of African leaders are expected to attend a Russia-Africa summit next month (Bloomberg)

Putin Reportedly Moves to Assert Control Over Wagner Operations Worldwide

  • Following this past weekend’s failed mutiny attempt by the leader of the private military company Wagner Group in Russia, Russian officials reached out to leaders of African and Middle Eastern countries where Wagner operates in an apparent attempt to seize control of the group; Moscow has often denied association with Wagner’s operations in countries such as Mali, and it was not immediately clear if Russian President Vladimir Putin’s attempt to gain control would be successful (WSJ)
  • Meanwhile, France and other European countries risk undermining regional security efforts like the G5 Sahel Joint Force with a pivot to Niger as the focus of their Sahel strategy (WPR)

Dozens of Burkinabe Soldiers, Militiamen Killed in Attacks

  • One attack targeted the village of Noaka, reportedly killing over thirty members of the Volunteers for the Defense of the Fatherland (VDP), a group of civilians with little training allied with the military, and a separate attack targeted troops in transit; jihadist attacks have killed an estimated ten thousand people throughout the conflict (VOA)

Russia FM: Wagner Group Will Continue to Operate in Mali and Central African Republic

  • Following the group’s mutiny, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Wagner’s activities in Africa will continue as normal and Russian relations with those countries will not be affected by recent events; Wagner did not immediately confirm its plans (African News; Moscow Times)
  • Meanwhile, the UN issued a report indicating a steep increase in cocaine seizures in the Sahel last year, noting that undetected trade is likely much greater (Africa News)

Voters Overwhelmingly Approve Malian Constitutional Changes

  • 97 percent of voters approved the measures, which grant greater powers to the office of the president and are intended to strengthen political institutions; interim President Assimi Goita said the referendum paves the way for elections in 2024 (Al Jazeera)

Malian Rebels Warn Against UN Withdrawal

  • MINUSMA, the UN peacekeeping mission in Mali, has played a key role in pacifying the northern separatists, but the coalition of armed groups said a UN departure, which Bamako has demanded, would strike a “fatal blow” to the peace accord that has curbed separatist violence (Al Jazeera)

United States Calls for “Orderly, Responsible” Withdrawal of UN Force in Mali

  • After Mali’s interim military government called for a UN peacekeeping force to leave the country, the U.S. State Department said the UN drawdown should be “orderly and responsible;” the mission’s mandate expires on June 30 (Reuters)

Mali Counts Votes in Constitutional Referendum

  • The military says the new constitution would pave the way for elections and strengthen institutions, though concerns remain about the powers it would give to the president (Reuters)
  • The referendum itself is widely seen as a test of the junta’s commitment to a democratic transition amid increasing Islamic militancy, which has left many Malians unable to vote (Al Jazeera)

Mali Demands Immediate Withdrawal of UN Peacekeeping Mission

  • Despite restrictions on MINUSMA, its thirteen-thousand-strong force has been crucial in holding the northern cities of Gao and Timbuktu and in appeasing the Tuareg separatist rebellion (Reuters)
  • Mali’s junta claims that MINUSMA has exacerbated communal tensions, and tensions mounted following a UN report insinuating Russia’s Wagner group has committed war crimes in Mali, including the massacre of five hundred people (Al Jazeera; Reuters)

Niger’s Highest Court Lifts Immunity of Deposed President

  • The court’s decision opens the door for the ruling military junta to prosecute former president Mohamed Bazoum for alleged high treason nearly one year after his government was overthrown in a coup d’etat (AP)

Mali Junta Leader Talks with Russian President

  • Assimi Goita and Vladimir Putin discussed security and economic issues, and Goita thanked him for Russia’s support, saying he hopes to strengthen the bilateral relationship (Africa News)

Mali Starts Early Voting for June 18 Constitution Referendum

  • Seen as the first step toward holding national elections, passing the new constitution would strengthen the power of the president and denounce any coup as an “imprescriptible crime,” though those involved in past coups would be immune (Africa News; Al Jazeera)

UN Highlights Illicit Arms Trade in the Sahel

  • The trade complicates conflict dynamics as weapons proliferate, with traffickers buying weapons to kidnap and exact ransoms and soldiers selling weapons for food (UN News)

Attackers Kill Peacekeeper, Injure Eight in Northern Mali Attack

  • As the UN Security Council debates the future of its Mali peacekeeping mission, the United States warned it would be “irresponsible” to keep the fifteen thousand peacekeepers in the country unless the government ends operating restrictions (ABC)