Politics

Rebels allege Mali drone strikes killed at least 21 in northern town

Published

4 months ago

August 26, 2024

According to Tuareg rebels, drone strikes on Sunday killed at least 21 people, including 11 children, in the north Mali village of Tinzaouaten, close to where the army was fatally attacked last month.

Shortly after Russian Wagner mercenaries and Malian soldiers were heavily slain by Tuareg and Islamist rebels in the vicinity of Tinzaouaten in July, Mali had launched airstrikes on insurgent targets in and around the town.

According to a spokesman for the rebel coalition known as the Strategic Framework for the Defence of the People of Azawad (CSP-DPA), the town, which is close to the Algerian border, was targeted by drone attacks once more on Sunday.

A pharmacy and crowds of people were the targets of the strikes, which resulted in a provisional death toll of 21 civilians, including the pharmacy manager and 11 children. There were numerous additional injuries and significant material damage.

The CSP-DPA said neighbouring Burkina Faso was the drone’s operator and placed the blame on Wagner mercenaries and the army of Mali.

Mali’s army, Russia’s defence ministry and Burkina Faso’s military government did not respond to requests for comment.

Wagner may have suffered its greatest loss since intervening to support Mali’s junta in its struggle against insurgent groups two years ago during the fighting that took place near Tinzaouaten in late July.

According to Tuareg rebels, they murdered 47 soldiers from Mali and at least 84 Wagner mercenaries. Ten Malian soldiers and fifty Wagner mercenaries were slain, according to an al Qaeda affiliate.

Wagner claimed that Mali had sustained significant losses, although neither party had disclosed the exact number of soldiers lost.

In north Mali, there are Tuareg separatists as well as jihadist insurgents such as the Islamic State and al Qaeda.

After Islamist militants used a Tuareg revolt as a cover for their own, the nation has been dealing with jihadist insurgencies since 2012.

Since 2020, coups have occurred in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger as a result of frustration with the government’s inability to restore stability. As a result, juntas have severed connections with their regional and Western friends in favour of Russia. In the meantime, the government of Mali and the separatists struck a peace deal in 2015. However, CSP-DPA left the negotiations in 2022.

Related Topics:Featured Mali Tuareg rebels

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Politics

Burkina Faso releases 4 French spies after Moroccan intervention

Published

1 day ago

December 20, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

In a diplomatic spat over their imprisonment, France and Morocco announced Thursday that four French nationals detained in Burkina Faso for a year had been freed after mediation from Morocco.

They were spies, according to a prior statement made by the director of France’s foreign intelligence organisation, the DGSE.

A request for comment was not answered by the DGSE or a representative of the French military, which is in charge of the agency.

Since December 2023, they have been held in Ouagadougou.

President Emmanuel Macron hailed King Mohammed of Morocco on Wednesday for his intervention, “which made possible the liberation of our four countrymen who had been held in Burkina Faso for a year,” according to a statement from the French administration.

King Mohammed and President Ibrahim Traore of Burkina Faso were also commended by Morocco’s foreign ministry, which stated that “this humanitarian act” was made possible by their positive bilateral ties.

In October, France made peace with Morocco, one of its former protectorates, after three years of hostilities between Paris and Rabat stoked by immigration concerns and the disputed Western Sahara region.

Morocco offers Burkina Faso and other military-ruled Sahel republics Atlantic trade.

However, France’s relations with former West and Central African colonies, such as Burkina Faso, remain difficult. In Ouagadougou, French troops and diplomats were ejected, the defence attache and ambassador were asked to depart, and certain French media were suspended.

The military junta that took control in 2022 in Burkina Faso has been criticized by international rights groups for cracking down on free expression and harassing dissidents to handle a security crisis precipitated by Al Qaeda and Islamic State extremists.

Politics

Ghana: President-elect Mahama appoints anti-corruption team

Published

2 days ago

December 19, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

According to a statement released by his transition team on Wednesday, Ghana’s President-elect, John Dramani Mahama, has designated an anti-corruption committee to investigate allegations of wrongdoing.

When he takes office next month, Mahama, the leading opposition candidate in the presidential election held on December 7 and who received almost 56% of the vote, has pledged to reclaim the proceeds of corruption and hold those responsible for it accountable.

In anticipation, an anti-graft squad has been established. The parliament’s Committee on Assurances, which has previously raised suspicions of governmental corruption, is chaired by MP Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwah.

An investigative journalist, a private attorney, a former auditor general, and a former police officer with experience in high-profile robbery cases make up the other three members.

After looking into alleged financial irregularities that took place during the previous administration, Daniel Dumelovo, the former auditor general, was fired.

Recovering lost assets and fighting corruption were two of Mahama’s main campaign pledges.

“He intends to hit the ground running on these commitments,” the statement said.

Eight years after leaving office, former President Mahama is back to head the West African country. Despite not being personally contaminated, he faced criticism during his 2012–2016 administration due to claims of political corruption.