Geopolitics Simplified by Arezki Daoud – Details, episodes & analysis

In this episode of Flashpoint, we go beyond the headlines to explore Russia’s quiet shift from Wagner to the Africa Corps in Mali. Under pressure from Algeria, Moscow is phasing out mercenaries in favor of a state-run military presence — a move that is raising alarm among Tuareg leaders in the north.We break down how Algeria influenced this transition, what Wagner's legacy leaves behind, and why Tuareg commanders are now cautiously engaging with jihadist groups like GSIM. As Mali’s conflict shifts, Russia’s role is evolving — but not disappearing.Don't forget to subscribe for weekly insights on the Middle East-Africa region and the Sahel.#RussiaInMali #WagnerGroup #AfricaCorps #MaliCrisis #AlgeriaSahel #Tuareg #GSIM #SahelSecurity #MENAConflicts #FlashpointPodcast #Geopolitics #RussianMilitary #AfricaNews #ConflictZone #SecurityAnalysis

What’s happening to the Fulani in the Sahel isn’t just war — it’s collective punishment. This is the story no one wants to tell.#SahelCrisis #FulaniUnderAttack #WestAfricaConflicts #HumanRightsCrisis #Pulaaku #BurkinaFaso #Mali #EthnicCleansing #Fulani #Mali #Sahel

The #Sahel is now clearly the next big event in Africa's geopolitics. After the complete destruction of #Libya, the same foreign powers that paid for the killing of a nation are now shifting their attention to the Sahel, establishing the bases of another sizeable crisis that will take decades to extinguish. 

The Sahel has long been destabilized, at least in recent history. Its post-colonial era has been still dominated by France, despite the Sahelian nations being independent on paper. There have been no improvements for the region, but a fast worsening of the political, social, environmental, and economic conditions. Podcast below and transcript at: https://north-africa.com/zf5r

2024 should be a record election year for Africa. Twenty countries, accounting for 346 million voters will be called to participate to elections that will mostly be rigged and decided in advance. In this podcast, Arezki Daoud argues that African elections have no democratic content and standards in them.

Different factors and actors have a more direct impact on the political systems in those countries. Among the factors cited by MondAfrique is the predominant role of the military in several countries like Mali, Niger and Guinea, the strength of traditional tribal structures, the rise of Islamic values favoring tradition over the law or finally the impact of Vladimir Putin among many African heads of state, factors that naturally clash with Western democratic values.

Visit: https://north-africa.com/series/africa-2024-elections/ to follow Africa's 2024 elections.

Has the war in #Ukraine deter #Russia from engagement in #Africa? Certainly not! We know that on the #security front, a growing number of #African states are turning to Russia to supply them with #military equipment and security services, judging by the presence of official and non-government outfits like the #Wagner Group. Things are evolving very rapidly on that front in 2023 and weapons sales to Africa are likely to further increase this year, despite Russia needing all the military hardware it can procure to execute its war on Ukraine. But many analysts have dismissed Russia as an economic partner for Africa. Perhaps that’s not necessarily true.

#Russia’s influence in the #Sahel is about to expand further with more cooperation deals announced by #Niger and Russia during the ongoing visit to #Moscow of Niger’s Prime Minister and other senior officials. Speaking to Russian media, Niger’s Defense Minister Salifou Mody said joint projects are being finalized during the visit, following months of preparation and negotiation in #Niamey. Mody even hinted on an increase presence of Russian assets as being part of a cooperation plan tying the two countries.

The #US and the #UK hitting #Houthi targets in #Yemen is largely the result of a sense of panic taking place in commercial and business circles. The #Houthis have clearly identified that there is a choke point that they can squeeze even more to get their positions heard. And what is happening up north, is certainly alarming not only for shipping companies and their clients, but for #Egypt and those who invested on the #Suez Canal.

In this podcast, Arezki Daoud gives an overview of ongoing problems in #Egypt and what we should expect in 2024.

#Christmas in #Africa this year has been gloomy to say the least. There was not much to cheer for. The political, economic, social and security environments in many #African nations have been experiencing the worst-case scenario, so much so that 2024 is likely to bring more bad news for millions of people. While the end of the Covid19 pandemic brought hope of return to some normalcy and pave the way for recovery, economic woes, violence, a degraded environment, and political leaders unable to solve problems, were compounded by the impacts from the wars in #Ukraine and in the #MiddleEast to make the lives of millions miserable and the outlook does not bode well. As we enter 2024, we see that Africa continues to be ravaged by persistent zones of armed conflict. Troubles are everywhere from the #DRCongo, with its chaotic presidential election held on the 20th of December, to #Sudan, #Mozambique and so many other places. Of course, the #Sahel is where all the problems seem to pile up at once. What are the latest developments in the Sahel that could point as to how 2024 will evolve?

Rising Storms: The Pact Uniting #Mali, #Burkina Faso, and #Niger Against #Jihadists and Isolation: In this brief, #ArezkiDaoud of #MEARisk and the #NorthAfricaJournal addresses the challenges facing the new alliance formed by the three troubled #Sahel nations.