The rebel group’s Mali faction, Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimeen (JNIM), is close to capturing Mali’s capital, Bamako, security experts told the Wall Street Journal; if the al-Qaeda-linked militants succeed, it would make Mali the first country to be run by the U.S.-designated terrorist group (WSJ)
JNIM has blocked fuel imports into the country in recent weeks as part of a pressure campaign against the military junta (WaPo)
On Tuesday, the U.S. embassy told Americans in the country to depart (State)
Meanwhile, two Emirati citizens abducted by JNIM militants are set to be released after the United Arab Emirates agreed to pay roughly $50 million, with an Iranian hostage also freed as part of the arrangement (Reuters)
Burkina Faso’s Transitional Legislative Assembly has voted to dissolve the country’s independent electoral commission, transferring electoral oversight to the Ministry of Territorial Administration; the move consolidates power under the military junta (AfricaNews)
Junta Sentences Former Prime Minister of Mali
Former Malian Prime Minister Moussa Mara received a two-year sentence after criticizing the Malian junta, following his arrest earlier this year; human rights groups suggest the conviction reflects the political crackdown that the junta has pursued against opponents of its regime (AP)
Security Overhaul in Nigeria
Nigerian President Bola Tinubu dismissed the heads of the defense, navy, and air force as attacks by armed groups intensified across the country, though officials denied rumors of a coup attempt following reports of officer arrests; the newly appointed chiefs were tasked with boosting security efforts as analysts warn the reshuffle may reflect growing regime-protection concerns (AP)
Nigerian Forces Repel Drone Raids
Islamist militants launched overnight assaults on four military positions in Borno and Yobe, using armed drones and rocket-propelled grenades before troops pushed them back, killing fifty fighters (Reuters)
The attack wounded another seventy militants, whom the army continued to pursue after the firefight (AP)
American Missionary Kidnapped in Niger
The U.S. State Department confirmed the kidnapping of an American missionary in Niamey, Niger; he was reportedly abducted by three men while en route to the airport and taken to a region near the Mali border, an area known for Islamist group activity (Al Jazeera)
Meanwhile, Human Rights Watch has called on Burkina Faso’s government to investigate the disappearances of judicial officers from the Ouagadougou Court of Appeal; the magistrates were involved in a case concerning fuel smuggling to Islamist groups and are feared to have been forcibly abducted (HRW)
Lastly, in Nigeria, a fuel tanker blast killed thirty-five people after overturning on a highway; deadly accidents involving fuel transports occur frequently across the country (Al Jazeera)
Armed Attack in Nigeria Kills Eight Security Personnel
The attack, which occurred in the northwestern Zamfara state, targeted police and a state-allied paramilitary group; the perpetrators remain unknown, though Zamfara has endured months of increased violence among bandits clashing over limited land and water resources (AP)
Islamist Militants Kill Four Nigerian Soldiers
Five other soldiers were wounded in the attack, which was perpetrated by Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province fighters in Borno state; troops later cleared explosives planted along the Ngamdu-Damaturu route, reopening the road (Reuters)
Mali Blocks Dozens of Fuel Trucks As Militants Halt Imports
Malian forces held back the roughly seventy fuel tankers destined for Allied Gold’s Sadiola mine after al Qaeda affiliates announced a blockade on fuel entering the country; the disruption follows recent militant attacks on fuel and equipment convoys, highlighting escalating risks for mining operations (Reuters)
Alliance of Sahel States Planning to Expose Nigerian Sponsors of Terrorism
The intelligence agencies of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger launched coordinated operations to uncover senior Nigerian political figures allegedly sponsoring terrorist groups in the Sahel (North Africa Post)
The three agencies claimed to have a list of officials implicated in financing these groups and facilitating arms deliveries (Business Insider)
Gunmen Kill Twelve Forest Guards in Nigeria
Armed individuals attacked members of Nigeria’s National Forest Security Service in Oke-Ode, Kwara State, killing twelve and injuring four others; authorities have not identified the assailants, though similar violence in the region often stems from land disputes between farmers and Fulani herders (AP)
Airstrike Near Market Kills at Least Thirty in Niger
An airstrike struck a weekly market in Injar, Tillabery region, in western Niger; no group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but the area has seen increased Islamist activity as affiliates from the self-proclaimed Islamic State increase their attacks against civilians (Reuters)
Sahel Pullouts from ICC
The junta-run governments of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger announced plans to withdraw from the International Criminal Court (ICC), accusing it of “neocolonial repression” and unspecified failures of capably prosecuting war crimes (WaPo; BBC).
Nigerian Police Arrest Six After Deadly Ambush Targeting Security Personnel
Nigerian police arrested six suspects and initiated additional search operations after an ambush in Benue State killed three officers and left seven missing; suspected armed herders and militias also destroyed police vehicles and stole motorcycles (Reuters)
Boko Haram Insurgents Raid Nigerian Army Base in Borno
Suspected Boko Haram fighters raided an army barracks in Banki, Borno State, overrunning the facility after hours of gunfire; the insurgents killed and injured multiple soldiers and seized weapons from the base, as panicked residents fled into nearby bushes or across the border into Cameroon (Nigerian Eye)
France Suspends Counterterrorism Cooperation With Mali
France has suspended its counterterrorism efforts with Mali and expelled Malian diplomatic staff after Mali arrested a French agent accused of plotting to destabilize the government; Bamako has not commented on the claims (Reuters)
Mali Escorts Convoys After Militants Attack Fuel Trucks
Al-Qaeda-linked fighters destroyed about one hundred trucks on a key trade route near Torodo, prompting the Malian army to escort buses and tankers; the attack follows Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin’s recent ban on fuel imports, which raised fears of further economic strain (AP/Africanews)
Separately, armed assailants opened fire during a baptism in the Tillabéri region of Niger, killing fifteen people before killing seven more nearby, per local media; authorities confirmed the attack but have not released casualty figures (AFP/Elmaestro TV)
Nigerian Military Kills Eleven Islamic State Fighters in Northeast
Troops repelled a terrorist ambush in Borno State, killing eight militants before killing three more in Adamawa with support from vigilantes (Reuters)
Algeria-Mali Drone Suit
Mali filed a lawsuit against Algeria at the International Court of Justice, accusing Algeria of shooting down a Malian military drone to protect armed groups; Mali said Algeria had not provided evidence for its claim that the drone violated Algerian airspace (AP)
Mali’s Reported Coup Plot
The French government pushed back against Mali’s claim that a French embassy staffer had been involved in a coup plot (Bloomberg)
Malian authorities arrested the staffer and a group of Malian military and civilian personnel on Thursday but provided few details about the alleged plot; the junta has been cracking down on dissent after a pro-democracy rally in May (Guardian)
UN Warns of Surging Terrorist Violence Endangering Women and Girls
Terrorist activity in the Sahel is surging in “scale, complexity, and sophistication,” making the lives of women and girls more difficult and dangerous, senior UN officials told the Security Council, pointing to the increased use of drones and association with organized crime (AP)
Four Moroccans Abducted by Islamic State Released in Mali
Four Moroccan truck drivers, who were kidnapped in January somewhere in West Africa, have been released “safe and sound” in Mali, according to government officials; the drivers were traveling three thousand miles to transport electrical equipment from Casablanca to Niamey before they were reported missing on January 18, 2025, in northeastern Burkina Faso, close to the border with Niger (AP)
The Malian government attributed their release to coordinated efforts between Mali’s National State Security Agency and Morocco’s foreign intelligence agency (ABC)
Forty-Five People Abducted in Second Mass Kidnapping Within Days
In Sabongarin Damri, northern Nigeria, gunmen raided five villages and kidnapped at least forty-five women and children; this was the second mass abduction in three days (Reuters)
Bandits Kill Eleven, Kidnap Seventy in Zamfara
In Sabongarin Damri, Zamfara State, Nigeria, a region that borders Niger, a group of armed bandits on motorcycles killed eleven people and kidnapped at least seventy people, including women and children; the perpetrators were not confirmed (Reuters)
UN Experts Warn of Intense Threat From IS and al-Qaeda in Africa
In a new report issued to the UN Security Council, experts warn that the threat from the self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS) and al-Qaeda extremists is most intense in parts of Africa; the experts monitoring sanctions against the two groups said the organizations’ continued focus on Africa can be attributed to IS losses in the Middle East from counterterrorism efforts and also called attention to territorial gains by the al-Qaeda-linked JNIM and al-Shaabab (AP)