Dakar to Riyadh: Links for 2/21/2025
News and analysis from the Sahel, North Africa, the Horn, and the Middle East.
You can read last week’s links here.
General
Patrick Gathara in The New Humanitarian: “Decolonise How? Help Us Develop an Ethical Framework for Covering Humanitarian Crises.”
Sahel and West Africa
The Washington Post’s Rachel Chason has released a set of interactive articles about different key players in the Sahel.
Is Guinea’s military ruler Mamadi Doumbouya in “pre-campaign” mode?
Senegalese Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko heads to parliament today to discuss the audit of state spending between 2019 and 2024.
Divya Rajagopal, Portia Crowe, and Giulia Paravicini for Reuters: “Exclusive: Barrick Gold Signs Agreement with Mali to End Mining Dispute.” Related - Antonio Cascais for DW: “How Sahel States Ditched Western Mining Interests.”
Toussaint N’Gotta for the Associated Press: “Ivory Coast Takes Control of Last Remaining French Base as French Military Departs.”
Niger has concluded six days of national dialogue. The delegates recommended a five-year, renewable transition period, along with other recommendations (amnesty for coup leaders, the possibility to run in future elections, etc.) that all more or less solidify the power of the ruling junta. Former Prime Minister Brigi Rafini is not happy with how many of his co-citizens are talking about past rulers of Niger.
Elisha Bala-Gbogbo and Chijioke Ohuocha at Reuters: “Nigeria's Inflation Rate Drops after Statistics Overhauled and Updated.”
In Nigeria, the two major parties - the All Progressives Congress and the People’s Democratic Party - are disputing control of local government positions in Osun, a southwestern state. The APC is boycotting the local government elections in Osun, scheduled for tomorrow.
The Chadian military has wrapped up an operation against Boko Haram; the operation followed serious attacks in October and November.
North Africa
UN News: “‘Fragile Stability’ in Libya Increasingly at Risk, Security Council Hears.”
The film “Al Wassaya,” a film about a custody battle, is making a splash in Morocco amid debate over the reform of the family code. TelQuel covers Justice Minister Abdellatif Ouahbi’s remarks at a screening of the film.
France24: “French Minister in 'Historic' Western Sahara Visit to Back Moroccan Sovereignty.” This is Rachida Dati, who also appeared on the radio to talk about her background as the child of a Moroccan father and an Algerian mother.
Raouf Ben Hédi at Tunisia’s Business News: “Tunisia on the International Scene: A Reputation in Free Fall.”
Algeria is preparing a film on the life of national hero Emir Abdelkader (1808-1883).
Greater Horn of Africa
Mohamed Gabobe in New Lines Magazine: “In Somalia’s Faltering Shadow War Against al-Shabab, Recruits Are Victims on and off the Battlefield.”
At Geeska, Faisal Ali offers a reading list on Somalia.
Samuel Getachew at Semafor: “Dangote Injects $400M to Expand Ethiopia Cement Operations.”
Mat Nashed at Al Jazeera:
On February 10, Sudan’s largest antiwar coalition, Taqaddum, finally splintered.
The disagreement was over whether to participate in a new parallel government being set up by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), one of the belligerent parties in Sudan’s nearly two-year war.
Biketi Kikechi at The Standard: “How William Ruto's Dalliance with RSF Risks Isolating Kenya.”
Mashriq
Reconstruction and recovery needs in Gaza are estimated to require $53 billion, according to the Gaza & West Bank Interim Rapid Damage and Needs Assessment (IRDNA) released today. The report analyzes damages and losses as well as recovery and reconstruction needs across almost all sectors of the Palestinian economy based on data from October 2023-October 2024.
AP’s Isabel Debre:
Experts say that Israel’s tactics in the West Bank are becoming almost indistinguishable from those deployed in Gaza. Already, President Donald Trump’s plan for the mass transfer of Palestinians out of Gaza has emboldened Israel’s far-right to renew calls for annexation of the West Bank.
“The idea of ‘cleansing’ the land of Palestinians is more popular today than ever before,” said Yagil Levy, a professor and head of the Institute for the Study of Civil-Military Relations at Israel’s Open University.
Nader Durgham for Middle East Eye: “Returning Syrians have been met with poor living conditions and lack of job opportunities.”
At OrientXXI, Chris Den Hond and Chloé Traodec on the situation of Syria’s Kurds and the three key issues the Syrian Democratic Forces want to resolve with the new authorities in Damascus - the integration of the SDF into the armed forces, the shape of political institutions, and control of energy resources.
Nafiseh Kohnavard for the BBC: “Iran’s Abandoned Bases in Syria: Years of Military Expansion Lie in Ruins.”
Zeead Yaghi for the Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy: “Lebanon Finally Has a New Government, Now What?”
The Gulf Cooperation Council countries plus Egypt and Jordan are meeting informally in Riyadh today.
Amwaj Media: “Debate on Change within PMU [Popular Mobilization Units] Puts Spotlight on Shiite Division in Iraq.”