Burkina Faso

ADF STAFF Benin recorded its first incident of extremist violence in 2019, and the number of recorded attacks by Sahelian terror organizations on Beninese soil has risen every year since. There were 20 attacks — mostly by the…

ADF STAFF From Ethiopia to Libya to Mali, armed drones have become an increasingly important part of the battlefield arsenal. The rapid rise of drones powered by artificial intelligence (AI) is raising concerns among experts about how they…

ADF STAFF Russia has added more armed men to its Sahel operations, this time in the form of the Bear Brigade, which has operated in Burkina Faso since May. Experts say the Bear Brigade is among an estimated 300 Russian security operatives…

ADF STAFF Three journalists critical of Burkina Faso’s military junta were kidnapped over a 10-day period in June. At least one of them, Serge Oulon, editor of the newspaper L’Événement, was abducted by a group of armed men…

ADF STAFF The military juntas leading Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger have pledged to confront the terrorist groups plaguing their countries. However, a recent United Nations report suggests that the countries must also focus on the engine…

ADF STAFF Sahelian junta leaders claim their new regional bloc will help them fight extremists and share economic resources. However, observers believe the turn inward, combined with a shift toward Russia, is likely to worsen the violence…

ADF STAFF Rampant terrorism has destabilized the Sahel for years and played a role in military coups in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger. Despite their promises of security, the juntas have largely failed to stop terror attacks. Hundreds of…

ADF STAFF Nigerien Chief of Staff of the Army Col. Maj. Mamane Sani Kiaou has worked closely with the United States military in recent months to arrange for the phased withdrawal of U.S. troops from the West African country. Kiaou and a…

ADF STAFF In a region facing terrorism, coups and transnational organized crime, leaders of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) have long sought to build a standby force to bolster security. Member nations’ defense and…

ADF STAFF Violent extremist organizations from northern Benin and Burkina Faso are increasingly targeting northern Togo as conflicts from the Sahel spill into coastal countries. Four people on a tricycle in the north-central town of…