US agrees to withdraw American troops from Niger

The United States informed the government of Niger on Friday that it agreed to its request to withdraw U.S. troops from the West African country, said three U.S. officials, a move the Biden administration had long resisted and one that will transform Washington’s counterterrorism posture in the region.

Defying Niger exit order leaves US troops vulnerable, whistleblower says

A senior U.S. Air Force leader deployed in Niger is raising an alarm over the Biden administration’s reluctance to heed an eviction notice from the military junta that last year overthrew the West African nation’s democratically elected government.

With French under fire, Mali uses AI to bring local language to students

As the popularity of French wanes, RobotsMali is using AI to create books in Bambara.

Zimbabwe replaces battered dollar with new gold-backed currency called ZiG

Zimbabwe, in its latest bid to end the serial collapse of the local dollar, has replaced it with a new unit called ZiG, which will be backed by a basket of foreign currencies, gold and other precious metals.

Hunger stalks war-ravaged Sudan as aid is blocked and looted

It has been nearly a year since fighting broke out between the military, headed by Lt. Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), headed by Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo.

As drones change warfare in Africa, civilians pay the price

Civilian deaths from drone and air strikes soared in Africa to 1,418 in 2023 from 149 in 2020. “We’re seeing a pattern of them being used in ways they are causing an awful lot of harm to civilians,” said Nathan Allen, associate professor at the US defense department’s Africa Center for Strategic Studies.

Elon Musk’s Starlink terminals are falling into the wrong hands

The sheer availability of Starlink on the black market suggests that its misuse is a systemic global problem, raising questions about the company’s control of a system with clear national security dimensions.

US forces not yet being kicked out of Niger, top defense official tells Congress

American forces are not yet being kicked out of Niger, a top Pentagon policymaker told House lawmakers Thursday just days after the country’s military junta announced it was severing ties with the U.S. military.

More than 20 killed in Somalia in alleged Turkish drone strike

The strike just outside the Somali capital killed at least 22 people and wounded 21, including many children, a witness and a relative of the victims said.

Climate change speeds up as major indicators blow off the charts, UN meteorological organization warns

The lives of millions of people were upended by natural disasters made worse by climate change, with countries everywhere struggling to cope with billions of dollars in economic losses, according to the WMO’s annual State of the Global Climate report for 2023.