Is Equatorial Guinea Courting Russia for Security Support?

President of Equatorial Guinea

Last week, there were reports about the development of cooperation between Mali and Russia. In social networks, unverified sources posted news about the transfer of Russian military personnel from Syria to Bamako. But Mali is not the only country seeking the support of the Russian Federation. Yesterday, information about the visit of government officials from…

Algeria: Proxy Hitmen in Mali

Mali Terrorists

In his The Dark Sahara (2009) and The Dying Sahara (2012), Jeremy Keenan  argues that there is a danger of proxy hitmen in Mali, writes Abdelkader Filali. Keenan is an anthropologist and an associate professor at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London who works as a consultant on the Sahara and the Sahel for many international…

EU Must Show Tough Love to the Sahel

The Sahel

The European Union must apply a “tough love” approach to the Sahel, linking continued financial support for Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger to the implementation of long-promised governance reforms to prevent a further destabilisation of the fragile region, a new Friends of Europe report says. In “Crossing the Wilderness: Europe and the Sahel”,…