Niger Withdraws From the International Criminal Court
Niger began the withdrawal process from the International Criminal Court after announcing its intent to leave in September 2025 (BBC)
The withdrawal will be finalized exactly a year after Niamey initiated its exit, on June 18, 2027, making Niger the third country to leave the Court following the Philippines and Burundi (RFI)
JNIM Attacks Nigerien Airport
JNIM fighters launched an attack on the Diori Hamani International Airport in Niamey that killed eleven soldiers, two civilians, and twenty-two militants (AP)
In January, ISSP attacked the same airport, which hosts an air force base, most Nigerien military drones and aircraft, and the headquarters of the AES joint military force (AP)
Benin and Niger Announce Plans to Reopen Border
Benin and Niger released a joint communiqué outlining a plan to strengthen bilateral cooperation and reopen their shared border which has been closed since Niger’s 2023 coup, first due to ECOWAS sanctions and later because of Niamey’s accusations that Benin harbored French military bases; Beninese President Romuald Wadgani has sought to expand cooperation with AES countries since his inauguration in May and visited Burkina Faso in early June (Africa News)
More Than Five Hundred on Trial for Terrorism in Nigeria
Eighty-four terrorism suspects joined nearly five hundred defendants already on trial in Nigerian federal court as authorities escalate counterinsurgency efforts in the Northeast; the proceedings follow eighty-six convictions in April, marking the fourth wave of mass trials under President Bola Tinubu (Reuters)
Government Program Rehabilitates Former Boko Haram Fighters
A government-backed rehabilitation program has reintegrated nearly ten thousand former Boko Haram fighters into their communities in Nigeria’s northeastern Borno State as part of a regional effort to weaken jihadist groups around Lake Chad (Africa News)
Nigerian President Celebrates Counterterrorism Success
Despite the proliferation of armed groups across Nigeria, President Bola Tinubu lauded his counterterrorism efforts during a televised national address in commemoration of Nigeria’s Democracy Day, claiming the military has killed over thirteen thousand terrorists, and the death toll among Nigerian security forces has decreased 81 percent since he took office (Al Jazeera)
Malian Army Conducts Airstrikes Against Kidal
Rebels in the city of Kidal reported one missing civilian but no confirmed casualties after the Malian Armed Forces conducted airstrikes on the city; Bamako has carried out at least twenty-five airstrikes on Kidal after insurgents forced out Malian troops and their Russian partners on April 25 (RFI)
Report on Nigerian Airstrike
Amnesty International said that a Nigerian military airstrike on Sunday killed at least one hundred civilians at a market (Reuters)
A military spokesperson acknowledged forces were operating in the area but said there was “no verifiable evidence” of civilian casualties as reported in the media (NYT)
It is the second time in a month that Amnesty has reported civilian deaths in Nigeria of this scale from a military airstrike; Nigerian officials called the prior incident a misfire (AP)
Russia Rejects Mali Separatist Rebels’ Withdrawal Demands
A Kremlin spokesperson rejected a call by separatist rebels in Mali for its forces to leave the country, and said Russia will continue to fight alongside Mali’s military government (France24)
The rebels’ demand followed their recent nationwide attacks carried out alongside al-Qaeda–linked militants (Reuters)
Retreat of Russian Forces in Mali
Russian forces that had been providing security support to Mali’s military regime withdrew from a stronghold in the country’s north (FT)
Countrywide attacks by separatist rebels and al-Qaeda–linked militants in recent days killed the country’s defense minister and targeted other junta leaders (BBC)
An Africa-focused paramilitary organization run by Russia’s defense ministry confirmed the move; Mali’s junta has increasingly depended on Russia for security after severing security ties with France in 2022 (BBC)
Mali’s Defense Minister Killed
Defense Minister Sadio Camara died in a wave of coordinated attacks across the country by separatists and extremist groups, state television announced (BBC)
A separatist movement in the country’s north teamed up with al-Qaeda–linked militants to stage the attacks, members of those groups said (Reuters)
JNIM and Tuareg Rebels Launch Attacks on Malian Capital
Al-Qaeda-linked Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin and Tuareg separatists from the Azawad Liberation Front launched coordinated attacks on multiple cities across Mali early Saturday morning (Al Jazeera)
Loud explosions and sustained gunfire were heard near Mali’s main military base in Kati, outside the capital Bamako, where military ruler General Assimi Goïta lives; the residence of Mali’s defense minister was heavily damaged by an explosion during the attack, a nearby shopkeeper told the Associated Press (AP)
Nigeria Tightens Security Amid Terror Plot
Nigerian authorities intercepted plans of a jihadist attack on Abuja that could target public infrastructure in an effort to wreak havoc and release terrorists currently in government custody—a plot reminiscent of the 2022 attack on Abuja’s Kuje prison that allowed nearly nine hundred inmates to escape (AP)
Evading Sanctions, Russian Weapons Reach Mali
Despite international sanctions, Russian transport vessels have continued to funnel arms, vehicles, and equipment to the Malian military and Moscow’s Africa Corps in the country (France24)
Details Murky as Nigerian Forces Confirm Misfire
The Nigerian government confirmed its military misfired in a market strike that killed over one hundred civilians, including children, near the country’s Borno state; officials maintain the strike was intended to target jihadist militants assembled near the market (AP)
Nigerian Government, Local Sources Disagree on Strike Details
Conflicting accounts between government officials and local sources once again emerged in Nigeria, where human rights groups said military strikes on a crowded market killed at least fifty civilians—a dramatically different picture than that presented by the Nigerian military, which claimed the attack targeted an abandoned village occupied by militants (NYT)
Nigeria-Turkey Defense Deal
Two hundred members of Nigeria’s special forces will travel to Turkey for training as part of a new defense agreement between the countries, Nigeria’s defense minister said; he added the countries would jointly produce some “military hardware” together, without providing further details (Arab News)
Four Hundred Sentenced in Mass Terror Trial
A mass trial in Nigeria rendered guilty sentences to four hundred suspects accused of working for or assisting jihadist militant groups, including Boko Haram and the Islamic State Sahel Province (BBC)
Nigerian Troops Targeted in Base Attack
Jihadist militants overran a Nigerian military base in the country’s northern Borno state, killing nearly twenty soldiers and destroying government infrastructure (AFP)
JNIM, IS Affiliate Bring Conflict to Niger
Militants affiliated with JNIM and the self-proclaimed Islamic State Sahel Province recorded their first-ever clash in Niger, signaling that porous borders, poor security, and heightened intra-group conflict could expand the front lines of terror-related conflict in the Sahel (Reuters)
Locals, Government Offer Conflicting Accounts of Nigeria Attacks
Armed bandits in northwestern Nigeria’s Niger state indiscriminately killed over twenty civilians and abducted several more in a set of pre-dawn attacks on rural villages, local sources said—an assessment that differed sharply from that of the Nigerian police, who reported just three deaths (DW)
Separately, Nigerian prosecutors began to hand down convictions and prison sentences to over five hundred individuals alleged to have aided and abetted terror groups in the country’s volatile northern regions, a move that observers said represents a step toward long-awaited justice for victims and families (BBC)
Conflicting Claims in Church Attack
After a deadly siege on a church in Nigeria’s Kaduna state, local Christian leaders said the country’s armed forces are misleading observers about an alleged hostage rescue (Africa News)
Previously, news outlets echoed the Nigerian government’s claim that its army freed dozens of kidnapped parishioners—claims local sources say aren’t true (DW)
Ouagadougou Refutes Atrocities Allegations
The Burkinabé military junta denounced a report that claimed its forces killed upwards of 1,800 civilians since General Ibrahim Traoré took power in a 2022 coup, referring to the claims as mere “conjecture” (Africa News)
Traoré: “Democracy Is Not For Us”
In an interview with Burkinabé state television, junta leader Ibrahim Traoré told his country’s civilians to “forget” about transition to democratic rule as he railed against Western influence in favor of economic and security self-reliance (BBC)
Report: Sahelian Junta Forces Massacre Civilians
Reporting from human rights observers indicates that Burkinabé and Malian government forces have killed up to four times more civilians than jihadist groups have, a striking indictment of the Sahel’s military juntas’ securitization approaches (Reuters)
Survivors of such government attacks have described indiscriminate violence, attacks on humanitarian aid, and summary executions of civilians, including children (HRW)