What's going on in the African Sahel? - Part 1

What's going on in the African Sahel? - Part 1

The situation for March 23 - April 19, 2023

Clashes continue in the region (https://t.me/rybar/44944) between militants of the local branch of the Islamic State and the al-Qaeda affiliate Jamaat Nasr al-Islam wal-Muslimin, as well as government forces.

Tensions remain in the area of the "triple border". At the same time, the active use of drones by the military personnel of Burkina Faso in recent weeks has shown their extreme effectiveness in the fight against radicals.

🔻Mali

Supporters of the local branch of the "Islamic State" launched an offensive in the border areas with Niger and managed to surround the city of Menaka in the Gao region.

The terrorists also managed to capture the city of Tiderman. At least 17 people died and dozens of animals were stolen. Earlier, key transport hubs in the northeastern part of Mali came under the control of the radicals.

In the area of the capital of Mali, Bamako, militants carried out several attacks on a checkpoint in the city of Nossombugu, at least five people were killed.

▪️The country's leadership continues to prepare for a constitutional reform aimed at the return of civilian rule.

Following criticism of the draft constitution by a group of Muslim imams and scholars, the government presented a new draft on March 21. Currently, negotiations are ongoing with representatives of religious and social movements to establish a new date for the referendum.

Representatives of the June 5 Movement, who contributed to the military coup in 2020, opposed the new project. They stated that the text of the constitution creates a situation of imbalance of power in favor of the president of the country, who in terms of his powers can be compared with the monarch.

At the same time, the UN urged Mali to speed up the process of transferring power to a civilian government and do everything so that elections are held in early 2024.

The former Tuareg rebel group, the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad, has accused the Malian government of provocation by saying military fighter jets flew near four of their bases at low altitude.

The crews did not launch any strikes, but their flight caused return fire from former rebels on the ground.

▪️In early April, China delivered about 100 armored vehicles to Mali, including VP-11 MRAP and Lynx CS / VP11. According to the armed forces, this technique should significantly enhance the army's ability to counter terrorist groups.

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