Recent Appearances...

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Recent Appearances...

Africa Subsaharan

Zakharova: Losing to the Russian Armed Forces, Ukraine Decided to Open a Second Front in African Countries

2025-06-20

Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] Ukraine, which is losing in the special operation zone, has decided to open a second front in African countries friendly to Russia. This was reported by the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF).

"Ukraine is retreating under the pressure of the Russian Armed Forces. They have apparently decided to open a second front in Africa, stimulating terrorist activity there, in African states that are friendly to us," Zakharova noted.

The diplomat specified that last week Malian and Burkina Faso news portals, citing official sources, stated the involvement of Ukrainian intelligence in assisting the terrorist group Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (GSIM), which has ties to Al-Qaeda (a terrorist organization banned in the Russian Federation). On May 30, this group carried out an attack on positions of the Malian Armed Forces in the Koulikoro region.

Zakharova called GSIM's support in Africa another demonstration of the terrorist nature of the Kiev regime. The MFA representative also added that Kiev's ties with African terrorists had been confirmed earlier, including by the press secretary of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry Andrey Yusov and the country's ambassador to Senegal Yuriy Pivovarov.

As reported by the Regnum news agency, in early August 2024, Pivovarov published a video supporting Malian terrorists, after which he was summoned to the Senegalese Foreign Ministry, and the authorities of Mali and Niger broke off diplomatic relations with Ukraine. At that time, Zakharova stated that the decision of African countries to break off diplomatic relations with Ukraine indicates a growing understanding by African countries of the terrorist nature of the Kiev regime.

In November 2024, the Russian Foreign Ministry announced that Russia would combat Ukrainian support for terrorists in Africa. According to Georgy Mikhno, Acting Director of the Department for New Challenges and Threats at the Russian Foreign Ministry, the Kiev regime actively and openly supports terrorist groups on the continent.

Link

Africa Horn

US Africa commander highlights terror growth in Sahel and competition with China for influence

2025-05-30

[FOX] A top United States military general warned Thursday that terror groups in Africa are ramping up their ability to conduct attacks in the U.S.

Gen. Michael Langley, the four-star Marine General who leads U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM), said the Sahel region of the continent is now the "flashpoint of prolonged conflict and growing instability. It is the epicenter of terrorism on the globe."

Several terror groups have expanded drastically in the last three years. Al-Qaeda in the Lands of the Islamic Maghreb, or AQIM, is three times the size it was in 2022, he said, and has spread across Mali, Burkina Faso, and parts of Niger, which the U.S. military pulled out of last year.

Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal-Muslimin,

…in Arabic it’s called JNIM and in French is GSIM. Recent estimates of its size range from 2,000-6,000 turbans…

a faction affiliated with Al-Qaeda, is now four times the size it was in 2022, expanding mainly in Burkina Faso.

"We're keeping a good eye on this because they could have the capacity to attack the homeland," Langley said in a call with reporters.

"Throughout my travels across West Africa and through dialog here at the conference, the concerns shared by my peers match my own," he added. "One of the terrorist's key goals now is access to the west coast of Africa. If they gain access to the vast coastline, they can diversify their revenue streams and evolve their tactics, more easily exporting terrorism to American shores."

He noted that the terror groups engage in illicit activity like smuggling, human trafficking and arms trading, which fund their nefarious actions and destabilize the region.

U.S. forces over the weekend conducted an airstrike against the al Qaeda-linked al-Shabab in Somalia. The East African country has been wracked for decades by attacks and insurgency from Islamist terrorists, both from ISIS and al-Shabab.

The U.S. is in a race with China and Russia to gain influence and trust with the local governments of several African nations to help protect citizens from terror groups.

Langley said there is an increasing concern about the number of African soldiers going to Beijing for military training and replicating a U.S. International Military Education and Training (IMET) program.

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Africa Subsaharan

JNIM's Growing Pressure on Benin

2025-04-26

[UNDERSTANDINGWAR.ORG] Benin
Benin

...Benin, a French-speaking West African nation, that they put where Dahomey used to be. It is a birthplace of voodoo and zombies. In Abomey, Dahomey's former capital, the Historical Museum occupies two royal palaces with bas-reliefs recounting the kingdom’s past and a throne mounted on human skulls. To the north, Pendjari National Park offers safaris with elephants, hippos and lions and tigers and bears, oh my!...
. Al Qaeda's affiliate in the Sahel carried out its deadliest-ever attack in Benin as it continues to increase the lethality of its operations in Benin throughout 2025. The latest attacks are significantly more lethal despite no increase in frequency. Benin is a key US security partner in West Africa. Jama'at Nusrat al Islam wa al Moslemeen's (JNIM's)

…in Arabic it’s called JNIM and in French is GSIM. Recent estimates of its size range from 2,000-6,000 turbans…

growing strength in Benin

…that range was last year. That sounds like there may be more now…

undermines US efforts to contain the Salafi-jihadi insurgency in the Sahel and to demonstrate to African states that the West is a more effective and reliable security partner than Russia.

Link

Africa North

At least Six Russian Wagner Group Mercenaries Killed in Islamist Attack in Mali

2024-11-24

[Breitbart] At least six Russian mercenaries were killed in an attack by an al-Qaida-linked group in central Mali, according to a statement by the extremists on its media platform.

The group, known by its acronym, JNIM,

… the Al Qaeda in the Sahel group that in Arabic is called JNIM and in French is GSIM. Recent estimates of its size range from 2,000-6,000 turbans…

said it ambushed a convoy of mercenaries working for the Wagner Group on Thursday in the Mopti region, killing fighters and burning vehicles.

A Mali security official who works in the area confirmed an attack on Russian soldiers occurred on Thursday and that several people died while manning a checkpoint in the center of the country. The official spoke on condition of anonymity on Saturday because he was not authorized to speak to the media

Russia has capitalized on deteriorating relations between the West and coup-affected Sahel nations in West Africa to send fighters and assert its influence. Wagner has been active in the Sahel, the vast expanse south of the Sahara Desert, with the mercenaries profiting from seized mineral riches in exchange for their security services.

Wagner has been present in Mali since late 2021 following a military coup, replacing French troops and international peacekeepers to help fight militants who have threatened communities in the central and northern regions for more than a decade. At the same time, Wagner has been accused of helping to carry out raids and drone strikes that have killed civilians.

The incident comes months after the deadliest attack on the group, where approximately 50 Wagner fighters were killed by an al-Qaida ambush on their convoy along the border with Algeria.

More from korrespondent.net

Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
Ukraine is ready to share its experience of destroying Wagnerites with Africa

African countries will have many problems due to Russian influence both on the continent and in the markets, Zelensky said.

Ukraine is ready to share with African countries, among other things, the experience of destroying Russian mercenaries - Wagnerites. This was stated by the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky at the 3rd International Conference on Food Security Grain from Ukraine on Saturday, November 23.

"We know who the Wagnerites are. We know how to fight them. We know how to destroy them. This shows that we have the relevant experience," the head of state said.

Zelensky recalled that Ukrainian military personnel had previously participated in peacekeeping missions on the African continent. According to him, Ukraine can contribute to the security sphere using the experience of a modern army.

The President noted that African countries may be interested in technologies developed in Ukraine, such as air and sea drones. In addition, Ukraine is ready to help in the field of cyber defense, having experience in repelling numerous cyber attacks on the financial system and communications.

Zelensky added that Russian influence poses numerous challenges to African countries both on the continent and in markets. He called on African states to prioritize security and independence over the benefits of cheap resources, even in difficult economic conditions.

Among other areas of cooperation, Zelensky highlighted food security, education, mining, digitalization, and the Diia application.

"We can offer all these things with pleasure," the president said.

Let us recall that earlier the terrorist group Al-Qaeda in Mali announced an attack on a Wagner PMC convoy and the elimination of six Russian mercenaries.

Link

Africa North

Major jihadist attack in Mali's capital killed more than 70, security source says

2024-09-20

Follow up to this story from two days ago.

[France24] A jihadist attack in the Malian capital targeting a military police training camp and airport left more than 70 people dead and 200 wounded, one of the highest tolls suffered by the security forces in recent years.

A security source speaking on condition of anonymity told AFP that 77 people had been killed and 255 wounded in Tuesday's attacks in Bamako.

An authenticated confidential official document put the toll at around 100, naming 81 victims.

Thursday's edition of Le Soir daily reported that the funerals of around 50 military police students would take place that day.

Mali's military-led authorities have so far not released a precise death toll from the attacks, claimed by the al Qaeda-linked Group to Support Islam and Muslims (JNIM).

GSIM, actually. JNIM is the Arabic acronym for the group.

The operation was the first of its kind in years and dealt a forceful blow to the ruling junta, experts say.

The Malian capital is normally spared the sort of attacks that occur almost daily in some parts of the West African country.

The general staff admitted late Tuesday that "some human lives were lost", notably personnel at the military police centre.

JNIM claimed that a few dozen of its fighters had killed and wounded "hundreds" from the opposing ranks, including members of the Russian paramilitary group Wagner.

The attack came a day after junta-led Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso marked a year since the creation of their breakaway grouping, the Alliance of Sahel States (AES).

The trio, which have been under military rule following a string of coups since 2020, have broken ties with former colonial ruler France and turned militarily and politically towards other partners including Russia.

The Sahel states in January said they were turning their backs on regional bloc the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

Mali has since 2012 been ravaged by different factions affiliated to al Qaeda and the Islamic State group.

Volleys of gunfire interspersed with explosions broke out in Bamako at around 5:00 am (0500 GMT) Tuesday. JNIM fighters attacked a military police school and stormed part of the nearby airport complex, where a military facility adjoins the civilian one. The jihadist group broadcast images showing fighters strolling around and firing randomly into the windows of the presidential hangar and destroying aircraft.

Bamako has not seen such an operation since 2016, when gunmen attacked a hotel housing the former European training mission of the Malian army, with no casualties reported among the mission staff.

The flow of information is restricted under the ruling junta and details on how Tuesday's attack was carried out and its impact are sketchy.

Link

Africa North

Situation under control following Bamako attack by al-Qaida affiliate

2024-09-18

[AFRICANEWS] Mali's capital sustained early Tuesday (Sep. 17) a terrorist attack carried by al-Quaida affiliate group JNIM.

That’s the Al Qaeda in the Sahel group that in Arabic is called JNIM and in French is GSIM. Recent estimates of its size range from 2,000-6,000 turbans.

Citing a security official, AP reported that both the Faladi gendarme school and the military base near the Modibo Keita Senou airport were targetted.

Later in the day, the situation was under control and the army chief of staff visited the camp where he urged to fight division and amalgams

''I'm telling the Malian people that this attack was done on purpose. and that we're all Malians and we mustn't let people pit us against each other, so we must avoid amalgams.''

General Oumar Diarra also called on the residents to provide information to the authorities: "I'm asking the population to provide information. I think their support has been very substantial, allowing us to pick up suspects here and there. The investigations are ongoing."

"All the terrorists" who raided the school were " neutralized".

Students were killed as well as soldiers, a statement read on national broadcaster ORTM 1 said.

Speaking on condition of anonimity to AP, an official confirmed ''material damage,'' was also recorded but did not provided specifics.

At least 15 suspects were arrested, the source added.

The JNIM Death Eater group released a video which it says shows fighters setting fire on a presidential plane and pavilion near the airport in Bamako.

The army said that it was conducting a security sweep after fighting off button men.

This is the first attack in Bamako in years as terror groups seek to heap pressure on Mali's military.

Link

Africa North

New footage of the Azawad special military operation against Wagner forces in Mali from July

2024-08-18

New footage of the Azawad special military operation against Wagner forces in Mali from July. pic.twitter.com/xkmCRtRPNB
— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated) August 17, 2024

…that would be where the CSP-DPA — the latest coalition name of the Azawad (Tuareg) separatists — and the regional al-Qaeda in the Sahel group that in Arabic is called JNIM and in French is GSIM teamed up to beat the pants off those tough Wagner boys. Kiev apparently trained the Tuaregs…

Link

Africa North

Russia asks Niger for help after militants capture Russians and Ukrainians

2024-08-10

Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] Russia has sent a request to the Niger leadership for assistance in connection with information about the capture of two geologists by terrorists. This was reported on August 9 by the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova. The commentary was published on the website of the Foreign Ministry.

"The Embassy of the Russian Federation in Bamako (Republic of Mali), representing our interests in Niger, is in constant contact with the Niger authorities. A request for assistance was also addressed to Malian partners," the diplomat specified.

Zakharova added that Moscow intends to continue its efforts to free the hostages. The Foreign Ministry representative also expressed hope that terrorist and other destructive forces will not be able to hinder Russia's growing cooperation with the Sahara-Sahel states.

The diplomat reported that on July 18, in the southwest of Niger, in the Mbange region (Tillaberi region), terrorists from the Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (GSIM), which has links to Al-Qaeda (a terrorist organization banned in Russia), attacked geologists. As a result, four people were kidnapped and several Nigerien servicemen were killed.

On August 2, a video appeared on social media showing two hostages. One of them introduced himself as Oleg Gret, the other as Yuri Yurov. According to available information, Gret is a Russian citizen, and Yurov has Ukrainian citizenship.

"According to the abductees, they worked in Niger as employees of a Russian company and were "detained" by GSIM. The geologists did not report any demands from the terrorists," Zakharova said.

As reported by Regnum News Agency, in Niger, militants from the Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims announced that they had taken two people hostage. On August 2, the terrorists published a video in which two alleged Russian men claimed to have been kidnapped in Mbang, in southwestern Niger.

In the video, one of the hostages identified himself as a geologist. According to him, he is Russian but lives in Ukraine. The second said that he arrived in the country a month ago to work for a Russian company.

Link

Africa North

Mali 'in deep shock' severs diplomatic ties with Ukraine

2024-08-06

Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] The Malian authorities have made a clear decision to sever diplomatic relations with Ukraine, arguing that the Kiev regime is supporting armed terrorists who are fighting government troops and the Wagner PMC.

The transitional government's announcement was published on the agency's website.

It is noted that the Malian authorities were “deeply shocked” by the statement by the representative of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense, Andrei Yusov, regarding Ukraine’s involvement “in the cowardly, treacherous and barbaric attack of terrorist armed groups” that led to the war.

The government also recalled the deaths of members of the Malian defence and security forces in Tinzawatene, as well as the material damage caused.

According to the Malian leadership, all accusations are supported by the Ukrainian ambassador to Senegal, Yuriy Pivovarov, who openly and unequivocally declared his country's support for international terrorism, especially in Mali.

"These extremely serious allegations, which have not been refuted or condemned by the Ukrainian authorities, indicate clear official support by the Ukrainian government for terrorism in Africa, the Sahel and, in particular, in Mali," the statement on the immediate severance of diplomatic relations said.

At the same time, the Malian authorities emphasized that they had maintained a neutral position on the conflict in Ukraine. But everything has changed, and now Mali is declaring the "neo-Nazi and villainous" power of the Kyiv rulers.

As reported by Regnum News Agency, on August 3, the Ukrainian Ambassador to Senegal, Yuriy Pivovarov, was summoned to the country’s Foreign Ministry due to the publication of a video on the embassy’s account supporting terrorists in Mali.

Fierce battles with terrorists continue in Mali - combat aircraft have responded by striking the location of a Tuareg group and foreign mercenaries in Tinhavatin.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Burkina Faso called on the international community to assess Kiev's support for terrorism, the publication Burkina24 wrote.

Link

Africa North

Niger reports two Russians taken hostage

2024-08-04

Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] In Niger, militants from the Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (GSIM),
which has ties to Al-Qaeda (a terrorist organization banned in Russia), announced that they had taken two Russian citizens hostage. This was reported by Agence France-Presse (AFP).

The publication noted that on August 2, the militants published a video in which two alleged Russian men claimed to have been kidnapped in Mbang, in southwestern Niger.

In the video, one of the hostages, named Yurit, is said to have identified himself as a geologist born in Russia but living in Ukraine. The other, named Greg, said he had arrived in the country a month ago to work for a Russian company.

As reported by the Regnum news agency, on February 10, 2023, at least 10 servicemen were killed in an attack by militants in southwestern Niger, near the border with Mali. The incident occurred near the city of Banibangu. The militants ambushed

…in Arabic Jama'a Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin (JNIM). Formed by the merger of Ansar Dine, the Macina Liberation Front, al-Mourabitoun and the Saharan branch of al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, recent estimates of its size range from 2,000-6,000 turbans…

the servicemen. Another 16 people are missing.

Link

Africa North

Brutal Attacks in Northern Burkina Faso Claim 170 Lives, Including Women and Children

2024-03-04

Either Al Qaeda-linked GSIM/JNIM or ISIS. With no information given, how is one to know?

[Garowe] Authorities in Burkina Faso

...The country in west Africa that they put where Upper Volta used to be. Its capital is Oogadooga, or something like that. Its president used to be Blaise Compaoré, who took office in 1987 and was chased out in 2014. Now it's the usual army officer type guy, Captain Ibrahim Traore, running things, who's just doing a bang-up job unless he's already been deposed...
have confirmed that about 170 people, including women and kiddies, were killed in "massive bloody attacks" that targeted three villages in the north of the country on a single day last week. Since 2015, Burkina Faso has been experiencing jihadist violence attributed to gangs linked to al-Qaeda and the Islamic State
...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that they were al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're really very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear western pols talk they're not really Moslems....
, resulting in nearly 20,000 deaths and over two million displaced individuals.

On the same day, February 25, a separate attack targeted a mosque and another hit a church in this West African nation. The Public Prosecutor of Ouahigouya in the north, Ali Benjamin Coulibaly, stated on Sunday that he was informed of "massive bloody attacks in the villages of Komsilga, Nouda, and Soro" in Yatenga Province, resulting in the execution of around 170 individuals. Additional injuries and material damages were reported, though the attackers’ identities remain unspecified.

Coulibaly has directed the judicial police to launch an investigation to clarify the circumstances of these condemnations and incidents. He urged anyone with information about these events to contact the authorities. An investigation team visited the affected villages on February 29 to gather all evidence and reach conclusions.

Residents in the area, contacted by a news agency, confirmed that dozens of women and kiddies were among the victims. These attacks were separate from other ~~violent~~ mostly peaceful incidents on the same day, including assaults on a mosque in Natiaboani in the east and a Catholic church in the village of Isekaani in the north, resulting in dozens and at least 15 deaths, respectively.

Security sources highlighted other attacks on February 25, including those on the Tankoualou military detachment in the east and the 16th Rapid Intervention Battalion near Kongoussi in the north, where the army and civilian supporters reportedly neutralized several hundred terrorists.

Security Minister Mohammed Sana acknowledged in a national television statement that the country witnessed several coordinated and simultaneous attacks over the previous weekend. He attributed the change in enemy tactics to the destruction of terrorist bases, and training camps, and efforts to cut off their funding sources and control supply lines.

Since 2015, Burkina Faso, now governed by the military following a 2022 coup, has faced jihadist violence leading to nearly 20,000 deaths and over two million displacements. In January alone, 439 individuals were killed in such incidents, according to estimates by the non-governmental organization ACLED, which tracks conflict-related casualties worldwide.

Link

Africa North

MINUSMA pull out from northern Mali enters new phase amid intensifying fighting

2023-10-29

[AFRICANEWS] The UN peacekeeping mission due to leave Mali by december 31, is conducting a sensitive pull out.

The Minusma completed its "accelerated withdrawal" from Tessalit on October 22nd, then from Aguelhoc the next day.

Analyst Ali Tounkara, explains that armed actors fight for control of evacuated Minusma camps.

"The speed with which the UN mission's compound in Aguelhoc was ransacked by gunnies shows just how strategic this locality remains for the signatory movements of the peace and reconciliation agreement, as well as for ~~violent~~ mostly peaceful radical groups," the Executive Director of Center for Security and Strategic Studies in the Sahel said.

Some of the signatories of the 2015 Algiers accords have taken arms again against Mali's central government, ramping up attacks against the army just like al-Qaeda affiliated groups.

Minusma seeks to avoid being caught in the crossfire but it has also suffered attacks. According to the mission, some of its convoys were attacked with bombs, resulting in injuries. Terrorist group GSIM grabbed credit.

A truck driver was seriously maimed and two others slightly injured on Thursday (Oct. 26) when button men opened fire on a logistics convoy from Ansongo, another camp to be evacuated, the mission reported.

"As far as the State of Mali is concerned, there is no ambiguity today between the movements that signed the agreement (Tuareg rebels) and the armed terrorist groups, which are evolving together. As a result, the various communiqués issued by the State of Mali make no attempt to distinguish between the armed movements (signatories to the peace agreement) and the terrorist groups," Dr. Tounkara explained.

Mali's government has accused the Minusma of "leaving free hand" to bully boyz as the mission expediates its withdrawal.

The Minusma has had to cope with what it called restrictions imposed by the authorities on its ability to manoeuvre.

Minusma said it had been forced to destroy or decommission equipment such as vehicles, ammunition and generators, in accordance with UN rules, because it was unable to take them with it. "Such losses could have been avoided" if 200 trucks had not been blocked in Gao since 24 September by restrictions on movement imposed by the authorities, she said.

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