Tag results for: Mali

Following a period of dormancy in the wake of the Ukraine invasion, Russian mercenary group Wagner has recommenced its recruitment efforts for African operations, with a particular emphasis on Mali. This resurgence targets men aged 22-50 for assault units and drone operation positions. The Rise of the Africa Corps: Following the deaths of Wagner Group founders Prigozhin and Utkin, a new...

What You Need to Know: Diasporas, Afro-descendants, and Development are the themes of the Pan-African Congress’s first preparatory conference to be held in Bamako, Mali over the 14th and 15th of May. The Mali conference is the first of six preparatory meetings to be held in different regions of Africa before the 9th Congress begins on October 29th in Lomé,...

What to Know: Three Italian Jehovah's Witness missionaries who were taken hostage by the al-Qaeda-linked JNIM militant group in Mali back in May 2022 have been released, according to a statement by the Italian government. The exact circumstances surrounding their release remain unknown. What Happened: Elderly couple Rocco Langone and Maria Donata Caivano, and their son, Giovanni Langone, were kidnapped from their...

What You Need to Know:  Malian Prime Minister, Colonel Abdoulaye Maïga, announced on Sunday his country’s intention to leave the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), alongside Niger and Burkina Faso.  The three nations have been members of the economic bloc since its inception in May, 1975.  In his televised address, Maïga stated, “After 49 years of existence, the valiant people...

What Happened  An artisanal gold mine in Mali collapsed late last week, killing now more than 70 people. The collapse took place in Mali's Kangaba district of the Koulikoro region in the southwest of the country. Mali's Ministry of Mines first reported the collapse on Tuesday when it said in a statement that "several" miners had died in the collapse. Since...