29 April, 2022 | Mali, Sahara
The French military has released drone video evidence of Russian mercenaries burying bodies near the Gossi army base in northern Mali — handed over by the French to the Malian army on 19 April — in an attempt to falsely accuse the departing troops of leaving behind...
31 March, 2022 | Sahara, Sahel
Much of the news from the Sahel is coloured by developments in Russia’s war against Ukraine and the impact on the region. The two news items that have been most coloured by Russia’s invasion are: the presence of the Kremlin-linked Wagner Group mercenaries in Mali; and...
26 February, 2022 | Menas Associates, Sahara
With Europe’s gas supplies coming increasingly under the spotlight because of the Russia-Ukraine crisis, it was almost inevitably only a matter of time before an umpteenth attempt to resurrect the pipedream of the Trans-Saharan Gas Pipeline (TSGP) made a return bid....
27 December, 2021 | Mali, Sahara
The pending formal deal between Mali’s military junta and the Kremlin-linked Wagner Group — which appears to have already begun with the early January deployment of Russian mercenaries to Timbuktu — is likely to begin this month and will have major implications for...
29 November, 2021 | Menas Associates, Sahara, Sahel
If Mali does go ahead with its deal with the Kremlin-linked Wagner Group to supply Russian mercenaries, it will come at a high, and possibly unaffordable, financial, and military price. Financially, the country is not only likely to be subjected to widespread...
31 October, 2021 | Mali, Menas Associates, Sahara
If, as expected, the security deal between Russia’s Wagner Group with Mali goes ahead there could be profound implications for the Sahel, the Maghreb and West Africa. It would also be a major strategic setback for France, the EU and the West. It will increase the...
