Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
1 to 7 of about 7
AQIM is taking advantage of the social and economic fabric of Sahelian communities while exploiting the region's vast plains and porous borders that complicate counterterrorism operations.
Now that Morocco has regained its seat at the African Union, the Kingdom faces a new context where it must defend its core interests while proving that it is a responsible stakeholder whose membership benefits the AU.
Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb remains a looming threat, with its proven adaptability and resilience, and its high capacity for destruction.
The fragile states of the Sahara and just below the desert pose significant challenges—not just for the United States and Europe, but also for the North African states themselves.
Most Mauritanian opposition leaders will boycott the June 6 presidential election, in which coup leader Muhammed Ould Abdel Aziz is ensured victory.
There is little doubt that links exist between Islamist militants in the states of the Sahel and Saudi Arabia. While Saudi funding and export of religious dogma play a role in the Sahel, nationals from the latter region are increasingly visible within Saudi Arabia's own militant communities.
Mauritania, an often-ignored country on the western periphery of the Arab world, surprised observers two years ago by undertaking one of the most forthcoming advances toward democracy in the region. Democratic reforms came as a result of a 2005 bloodless military coup led by Colonel Ely Ould Mohammad Vall.