Nigeria's Super Falcons defeated Zambia 1-0 in their Group C second fixture at the 2026 Women's Africa Cup of Nations in Rabat, Morocco on August 1, with Asisat Oshoala scoring the winner while Nigeria played with ten players after a red card; in Group B on the same day, South Africa rallied from 2-0 down to draw with Côte d'Ivoire, while Burkina Faso narrowly beat Tanzania
Nigeria's Super Falcons crushed Egypt 6-2 in their Group C finale at the 2026 Women's Africa Cup of Nations on August 5, reaching the quarterfinals against Cameroon; Asisat Oshoala left injured; South Africa beat Burkina Faso 1-0, with Thembi Kgatlana scoring in the 21st minute, to set up a quarterfinal against hosts Morocco; Côte d'Ivoire topped Group B after beating Tanzania 2-1
A UN assessment finds armed groups in the Sahel are no longer just launching attacks: they administer territory, control trade routes, exploit new technologies, and are extending their reach toward coastal West African states
Three days after the junta formally severed diplomatic relations with Paris, Captain Ibrahim Traore's government issued a seven-day ultimatum demanding French embassy closure, the most complete rupture between the two countries since independence in 1960
The national assembly presidents of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger met on June 29 to advance the legislative architecture of the Alliance of Sahel States confederation, adopting a joint motion of support for Burkina Faso against a European Parliament human rights resolution
A decade-long jihadist insurgency across Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, now accounting for over half of global terrorism deaths and displacing millions.
The arc of West and Central African states where military juntas displaced elected governments nine times since 2020, reshaping the Sahel's security and great-power alignments.
Al-Qaeda's Sahel coalition taxes and attacks gold sites to fund ~6,000 fighters; Niger kills 13 in mine raids aimed at drying up financing