Rachel Chason

Trump also warned of aid cuts over alleged attacks on Christians, though an adviser to Nigeria’s president dismissed the remarks as a negotiating tactic.

America has ramped up intelligence sharing with Mali’s repressive military junta, current and former U.S. officials said, as extremists gain ground in West Africa.

Over decades, Mali produced global stars and became a hub for West African guitar. Now, musicians are struggling to hang on amid economic and security crises.

The Post traveled to Burkina Faso to shed light on President Ibrahim Traoré’s remarkable reinvention — from obscure junta leader to political icon.

In the two years since President Bola Ahmed Tinubu ended Nigeria’s popular fuel subsidy, residents of Ngwoma have seen their world shrink.

With up to 6,000 fighters, JNIM is now the most well-armed militant force in the Sahel — and among the most powerful in the world, officials and experts say.

Fighting alongside Malian soldiers, Wagner mercenaries have massacred civilians and burned their villages in northern Mali, fueling a fast-growing refugee crisis.

Military strongmen have silenced their critics and muzzled the media, threatening, arresting and exiling those who speak out for democracy. A few still dare.

Russia is expanding its influence in Africa as democracy wanes, with military strongmen carrying out coups and the United States seeing its influence decline.

The advancing tide of Islamist extremism has prompted the rise of pro-government militias. The result has been a vicious cycle of escalating violence.

Washington Post journalists faced numerous challenges in reporting from the Sahel region of Africa, including hostility from locals and restrictions on access.