West Africa news and stories by mail.com

West Africa

Algeria: Army rescues hostages, toll unclear
Algerian helicopters and special forces stormed a gas plant in the stony plains of the Sahara on Thursday to wipe out Islamist militants and free ...
Ghana arrests Ble Goude, wanted in Ivory Coast
Authorities in Ghana on Thursday arrested Charles Ble Goude, the former leader of an ultranationalist youth movement in Ivory Coast wanted in ...
EU approves military training mission to Mali
European officials had a message Thursday for French forces fighting on the front lines of the battle against Islamist extremists in the troubled ...
US helping but hesitant on Mali intervention
The Obama administration has declared it cannot accept new terrorist sanctuaries in Mali or anywhere else and has promised to support French and ...
World sea piracy falls to five-year low in 2012
World sea piracy fell to its lowest level in five years in 2012, thanks to a huge reduction in Somali piracy, an international maritime watchdog said ...
Chad president says troops heading to Mali
The north-central African nation of Chad is sending troops to help Mali battle radical Islamist insurgents who control a vast swath of territory along ...
Its allies reluctant, France goes it alone in Mali
France's allies have offered vocal support for the country's military operation in Mali, but when it comes to sending troops or weapons, they are ...
Senegal set to host Feb. trial of ex-Chad dictator
Senegal's justice minister says former Chadian dictator Hissene Habre will go on trial next month for alleged crimes against humanity. The trial got ...
French triple troops in Mali, prepare for assault
After a punishing bombing campaign failed to halt the advance of al-Qaida-linked fighters, France pledged Tuesday to triple the size of its force in ...
France girds for new threats amid Mali operation
France's military campaign to stop advancing Islamist insurgents in Mali has been met with a volley of threats from the extremists, feeding fears that ...
Panetta: No US troops on the ground in Mali
Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said Tuesday that the U.S. has ruled out putting any American troops on the ground in Mali, but officials are hoping ...
A look at what countries are contributing to Mali
Here's a look at what countries are providing to help Mali's battle against armed Islamic extremists who have occupied the country's north since March
France to send 2,500 troops to Mali, official says
An official at France's Defense Ministry says the country will "gradually deploy" a total of 2,500 troops to Mali, and the French president says the ...
Mali rebels make gains, vow to avenge French bombs
Despite a punishing bombardment by French warplanes, al-Qaida-linked insurgents grabbed more territory in Mali on Monday, seizing a strategic military ...
French president bares tough side in Africa fights
Bombing militants in Mali may be the most popular thing Francois Hollande has done as France's president. The bespectacled and self-described "normal" ...
Panetta: US helping French forces with intel
The U.S. is already providing intelligence-gathering assistance to the French in their assault on Islamist extremists in Mali, Defense Secretary Leon ...
Al-Qaida carves out own country in Mali
Deep inside caves, in remote desert bases, in the escarpments and cliff faces of northern Mali, Islamic extremist fighters have been burrowing into ...
A closer look at West African nation of Mali
Here's a close look at the West African nation of Mali, where French forces launched a military operation last week to oust al-Qaida-linked militants ...
No easy exit for French fighting terror in Mali
France, breaking its own rules with a surprise military intervention in Mali, raises the specter of an African quagmire in a new theater of the West's ...
French jets bomb major Malian city in north
French fighter jets bombed rebel targets in a major city in Mali's north Sunday, pounding the airport as well as training camps, warehouses and ...
Hundreds of French troops drive back Mali rebels
The battle to retake Mali's north from the al-Qaida-linked groups controlling it began in earnest Saturday, after hundreds of French forces deployed ...
French commando killed in Somalia hostage raid
A raid to free a French intelligence agent held captive in Somalia for three years went horribly wrong, leaving 17 Islamists and at least one French ...
France chooses Africa intervention carefully
France has a history of intervention in Africa, where it was a colonial power for decades and still maintains several military sites and has hundreds ...
France ups terror threat level after Mali strike
The French president says the country will raise its domestic terror threat level after military action in Mali and Somalia, promising to increase ...
AP Interview: UN chief says Mali getting more help
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Friday that France, Senegal and Nigeria have responded to an appeal from Mali's president for help to counter an ...