In the middle of the Sahara in north-west Africa, the borders of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger converge in the shape of an arrow. At this point, and all along the porous borders of these three fragile states, militants seep between countries effortlessly. Two events here last week prompted a
Reports have emerged of one of the worst human rights abuses on the Afghan-Iranian border within recent memory. It has been reported that last week, between 45 and 55 migrants were remanded by border guards, tortured, and thrown into the river Harirud, between Afghanistan’s Herat Province and Iran’s Khorasan. Abdul
As of 5 May 2020, nothing has happened in Turkmenistan. On 26 April, the annual National Horse Day show was held near Ashgabat and was a great success. Other than that, people go about their normal business, as productive members of a thriving economy. This is what the Turkmen government
The Mauritanian National Guard have received their final shipment of camels from the EU, reported Jane’s on 14 April. The camels were handed over to the Nomadic Group of the National Guard at Achemim, on the border with Mali, according to France’s Management Institute for International Security. The institute had
On 22 March, Aslan Bzhania was elected President of Abkhazia, winning 56.5% of the vote. Abkhazia – a breakaway Caucasian region recognized by the United Nations as de jure part of Georgia – took its first major steps to limit the spread of the novel coronavirus five days later. Although
The Chadian army has destroyed five Boko Haram bases in its western Lac region, according to President Idriss Déby. The coordinated assault was in retaliation to a Boko Haram attack on 23 March 2020 that left nearly 100 Chadian soldiers dead. Déby, who has been the president for 30 years,
Residents of the city of Andijon in Uzbekistan are up in arms after discovering they would have to foot the bill for a new ‘green city’ plan. Neighbourhood associations and local officials are being forced to pay over $100 a month towards the project, according to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.
A senior State Department official reported on Tuesday 3 March, that the U.S. is to appoint a Special Envoy to the Sahel region, according to Agence France-Presse. Meanwhile, arguments in Congress, concerning the country’s ongoing military presence in the region and the potential withdrawal of troops, continue to simmer. This
Daler Sharifov, an independent journalist and free speech advocate, was arrested in Dushanbe on January 28. Sharifov, age 32, has been questioned by security forces and released on a number of previous occasions, says his wife Saida Kurbonova. This time, he was tricked into an interrogation rather than receiving an
