News

In NIGERIA, it has been reported that hundreds of Nigerian troops are missing after Boko Haram jihadists overran a military base in the remote northeast, in the second major assault on the Nigerian armed forces in two days. The jihadist militants, … Continued

OAMME STRATEGIC ANALYSIS As a sign of the serious deterioration in security across Africa during 2017, US AFRICOM confirmed that the US military now has specialist troops (as military trainers, technical advisers, and combatants) deployed to at least 33 countries … Continued

Niger’s Defence Minister Kalla Mountari has formally requested that the United States commence using armed drones against jihadist groups operating on the western border with Mali, raising the stakes in a counter-insurgency campaign that has been brought to international prominence … Continued

Update – The Philippines, Indonesia and Myanmar (Burma) In The Philippines, the Defence Secretary confirmed that the two primary leaders of the armed groups behind the prolonged war in Marawi City had been killed in clashes with Armed Forces of … Continued

Indonesia’s Concerns In mid-July, Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo signed a regulation which in effect will give the Indonesian Government greater power to disband Islamist organisations deemed threats to the nation, as it seeks to control the growing influence of hardline … Continued

Islamic State (IS) encroachment, and the risk to the region What had been common knowledge for some time within national security organisations in Australia and SE Asia became clear to the world this month with Islamic State’s efforts at creating … Continued

Mali extended a state of emergency by six months, from May until 31st October, as the west African nation battles a jihadist insurgency. MPs meeting in Bamako “voted unanimously” to extend the state of emergency. The measure has been renewed … Continued

On the political front, Nigeria’s government continues to reassure its citizens over the health of President Muhammadu Buhari, but confirmed that he spends most of his time working from home. A statement from the President’s office late on Thursday responded … Continued

BACKGROUND Political instability has plagued the Sahel countries for years. In Mali, the military coup of March 2012 brought an abrupt halt to 20 years of relatively stable democracy. In its aftermath, terrorists who had occupied most of the northern … Continued

Burkina Faso and Ivory Coast In Burkina Faso, President Roch Marc Christian Kabore (right) has named a new military commander, two weeks after Islamist jihadis killed 12 Burkinabe soldiers in a major raid, a government statement announced this week. Colonel … Continued

To end the year, Boko Haram’s leader, Abubakar Shekau, urged his fighters to “kill, slaughter and abduct … and detonate bombs everywhere” in a new video that denies new Nigerian government claims that his Islamic extremist group has been crushed. … Continued

Local elections in Mali on Sunday 20th November, the first elections in Mali since 2013, to elect some 12,000 councillors, were marked by low voter turnout, protests and incidents of violence, however the polls, first scheduled for 2 years ago … Continued

Nigeria Update December 2016 On 9th December, two female suicide bombers struck at a busy market in the north-eastern town of Madagali, killing at least 30 people, in the latest bloodshed to hit the country’s restive northeast. The attack on … Continued

Nigeria’s secret police seized hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash and assets in a series of anti-corruption raids targeting senior judges over the past few days, drawing strong condemnation and criticism from the Nigerian Bar association and domestic rights … Continued

Mali’s President Ibrahim Boubakar Keita (“IBK”) told the United Nations during the recent leaders gathering in the General Assembly that “extremist and terrorist” groups were growing in his war-torn country, where increased clashes were slowing peace efforts. President Keita told … Continued

President Ali Bongo, sworn in to a second term as Gabon’s president on 27th September, following disputed election results from the 27th August elections, has long sought to emerge from the shadow of his father, Omar Bongo, who ruled the … Continued

Gabon President Ali Bongo Ondimba has warned of possible unrest during the upcoming August 27 election, which he described as a “strategy” of the Opposition challenging his eligibility to seek a second seven-year term. “It is to be feared, because … Continued

During the last week of July, around 20 combatants were killed, and at least 40 others wounded in two days of fighting in the town of Kidal, in northern Mali, threatening the already shaky peace deal. As a consequence, Mali … Continued

President Muhammadu Buhari has finally confirmed that his administration is in talks with elements of the Niger Delta militants, with the assistance of oil companies and law-enforcement agencies, to find a lasting solution to the insecurity in the region. In … Continued

The Democratic Republic of Congo’s leading Opposition party says it is unconvinced by recent assurances that President Joseph Kabila will abide by the Constitution ahead of the presidential election. Kabila is due to leave office when his second and final … Continued

There has been no shortage of praise for Nigerian President Muhammad Buhari’s anti-corruption war, which has led to the arrest of a string of high-ranking former government officials. The Buhari crackdown centres on an alleged $2.1bn “arms scam”, where money … Continued

At least 17 Mali soldiers were killed and nearly 40 wounded in an attack on an Army base in central Mali on the 19th July. A Government official in Bamako confirmed the attack, with the assailants reportedly arriving in dozens … Continued

Niger’s Defence ministry has announced that 32 troops have been killed and 67 wounded in a clash with Boko Haram militants in the country’s southeast. The West African nation is part of a multinational force battling the jihadist group. As … Continued

  UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has requested around 2,500 additional UN peacekeepers to reinforce the UN mission in Mali, which has seen 12 of its members killed in May alone, and 65 killed since the MUNISMA deployment commenced three … Continued

Oil theft in Nigeria costs the country an estimated $8bn in revenue every year. The level of theft is so high that some multinationals are pulling out, and reducing their onshore presence in the country, and as a result, Nigeria … Continued

Two months after his dramatic arrival in Libya’s capital, Fayez al-Sarraj’s unity government has won international support but has had little impact inside a divided country plagued by Islamic jihadists, analysts say. The head of the Government of National Accord … Continued

President Muhammadu Buhari has ordered security to be stepped up in Nigeria’s oil-producing south, after a spate of attacks blamed on local militants that he said threatened the economy. Buhari met this week with senior executives of the Anglo-Dutch oil … Continued

  The Democratic Republic of Congo’s government this week issued an arrest warrant for Presidential hopeful Moise Katumbi on charges that he recruited foreign mercenaries, escalating a political crisis in the country as it prepares for elections in six months (in … Continued

  On Saturday 14 May Nigeria hosted talks on the continuing threat from Boko Haram with regional and Western powers in Abuja, as the UN continued to warn about the militants’ ties to the Islamic State group and its threat … Continued

Libya and Tunisia, both of which have been the victims of a string of jihadist attacks over the last year, this week formally agreed to cooperate in the common fight against Islamist terrorism. The internationally supported head of Libya’s new … Continued

The Vice President of Nigeria Yemi Osinbajo has made the astonishing claim that up to USD15 billion was corruptly siphoned from funds intended to be used in the fight against Boko Haram during the Goodluck Jonathan administration. This is reportedly … Continued

Indonesia’s Muslim community of more than 200 million people is overwhelmingly moderate but the country has grappled for the past15 years with a small but violent group of Islamist extremists. Islamic State (IS) has spoken often about its objective of … Continued

  Security has been increased in Accra Ghana and Lome Togo, following a leaked intelligence report that indicated Islamist militants were likely to launch future attacks in either or both countries. In Accra, there has been an increased visible police … Continued

Mali security authorities have announced the arrest of the suspect thought to have masterminded the series of attacks on hotels in Mali last year, including The Radisson Blu hotel in Bamako (below) in November 2015 which killed 20 people,   … Continued

In a memo dated 9th March, Ghana’s Immigration Service called for security to be increased along the border with Burkina Faso, following intelligence gathered by Ghana’s National Security Council Secretariat (NSCS)  warning of a “possible terrorist attack” on Ghana and … Continued

Last night’s awful tragic deaths from the attack on the Bassam resort in the Ivory Coast serve as a poignant reminder of the dangers facing international travelers going about their daily lives and business. This most recent attack joins the … Continued

December 2015 saw the partners of Osprey Asset Management Company (OAM) decide to restructure their business to allow the partners to focus on their core strengths.