Breaking News 2 African Nations Have Been Hit With Military Coups In The Past Month





The United States conducted an airstrike against Islamic State (ISIS) militants in northwest Nigeria on December 25, 2025, at the request of the Nigerian government. President Donald Trump announced the operation on Truth Social, describing it as a "powerful and deadly strike" targeting ISIS militants accused of primarily killing innocent Christians in the region. The U.S. military's Africa Command confirmed the strike was carried out in coordination with Nigerian authorities and resulted in the deaths of multiple ISIS militants.

The strike reportedly took place in Sokoto State, referred to as "Soboto State" in some U.S. military communications. Trump stated the action was taken under his direction as Commander in Chief and warned that further attacks would follow if violence against Christians continued, saying, "I have previously warned these Terrorists that if they did not stop the slaughtering of Christians, there would be hell to pay, and tonight, there was". He also referred to the operation as being executed by the "Department of War," a non-standard term for the Department of Defense.

The Nigerian government acknowledged the strike as part of ongoing security cooperation with the U.S., involving intelligence sharing and strategic coordination to combat militant groups. However, Nigerian officials have previously emphasized that armed groups in the country target both Muslims and Christians, and they caution against framing the violence solely as religious persecution, noting it stems from a complex security situation. Nigeria’s population is approximately 53% Muslim and 45% Christian, with religious demographics largely divided between the north and south.

This military action follows weeks of warnings from Trump about an "existential threat" to Christianity in Nigeria and his threats of military intervention. It also aligns with broader U.S. efforts under the current administration, which has seen increased military activity abroad despite earlier campaign promises to avoid "endless wars". U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth thanked the Nigerian government for its support and cooperation, adding, “More to come...
 


The African Union visited Burkina Faso despite active sanctions — here's the real strategy behind that move, what Ibrahim Traoré and the Sahel Alliance are building, and why African geopolitics will never look the same.
On April 20, 2026, AU Chair Évariste Ndayishimiye flew to Ouagadougou and sat face to face with Captain Ibrahim Traoré — the same leader the AU suspended, sanctioned, and pressured for over three years. After the meeting, Ndayishimiye said the visit finally helped him understand the "objective realities on the ground" in the Sahel.
 


Madagascar has declared a French diplomatic agent "persona non grata" over alleged destabilization activities, citing actions incompatible with diplomatic status. The expulsion, announced on April 28, 2026, follows accusations of involvement in plots that threatened national security, including activities linked to foreign and Malagasy nationals.

Tensions with France have escalated since the military takeover in October 2025, when the junta accused France of aiding the evacuation of former President Andry Rajoelina after his ousting. Since then, Madagascar has pivoted toward Russia, with new leader Colonel Michaël Randrianirina strengthening ties through high-level visits and arms deals.

  • The expelled agent’s identity and role remain undisclosed.
  • France has denied the allegations, calling them “mensongères” (false), and dismissed rumors of mercenary involvement.
  • This move reflects a broader shift in foreign policy, with Madagascar seeking to assert sovereignty and diversify alliances beyond its former colonial power.
 


On April 25, 2026, the Mali attack on Bamako shocked the world — 12,000 fighters, 5 cities, one night. Here is what the Russia Africa Corps and Malian army did to stop it — and what the weapons left behind reveal about who is really funding this war.
Between JNIM — Al-Qaeda's most active Sahel affiliate — and the Azawad Liberation Front, this was the largest coordinated offensive in Mali's recent history. Defense Minister Sadio Camara was killed. Kidal fell. And among the weapons recovered from the attackers were French-made Mistral missiles and American Stinger MANPADS. This video breaks down what actually happened, the hidden alliance that made it possible, and the three documented weapons pipelines nobody is talking about loudly enough.
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🔍 WHAT THIS VIDEO COVERS
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→ The April 25th coordinated offensive across Bamako, Gao, Kidal, Kita, and Sévaré
→ How the Russia Africa Corps and Malian
army responded and held the capital
→ The JNIM and Tuareg FLA cooperation deal that most coverage missed completely
→ Three documented pipelines: Libya 2011, Ukraine 2022, and battlefield capture
→ What the Alliance of Sahel States means for the region and the continent
→ Why military capacity alone cannot solve a political problem
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📚 SOURCES USED IN THIS VIDEO
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This analysis draws on reporting and research from Al Jazeera, BBC Africa, NPR, Reuters, and France 24 for breaking news coverage of the April 25th attacks. Conflict data and security analysis come from ACLED (Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project), the Soufan Center — specifically analyst Wassim Nasr on the JNIM-FLA cooperation deal — and the International Crisis Group. Weapons proliferation research is sourced from the Heritage Foundation, ISS
Africa, the Arms Control Association, and the Small Arms Survey. Strategic analysis comes from The Sentry's April 2026 report on Russia's expanding West Africa footprint, the Lansing Institute's post-attack assessment of the Africa Corps model, and Human Rights Watch reporting on U.S. sanctions policy toward Mali. All claims are attributed to their original sources within the video.



In tonight's edition, Assimi Goïta addresses the nation in a first video appearance since coordinated attacks hit Mali. Also, in Nigeria, Islamic State says it carried out an attack in Adamawa State that killed at least 29 people. And amid the conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere, there are concerns that the war in Sudan is being forgotten.

 
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Africa's geopolitical power struggle is real — Zambia rejected US health aid tied to
minerals, South Africa's xenophobia threatens billions in African trade, and Kenya tests
whether former presidents can be silenced with a pension cut.


This week on The Strategic Lens, three countries. Three power moves. One thread connecting
all of them: the fine print is the new weapon.


🔹 ZAMBIA vs THE US | The Trump administration offered Zambia between $1–2 billion in HIV
and health funding. But buried in the leaked draft agreement was a demand for preferential
access to Zambia's copper and cobalt — plus ten years of national health data. Zambia read
Section 6.2 and walked away. We break down exactly what the contract said, why Zambia said
no, and what Zimbabwe and DRC did before them.


🔹 SOUTH AFRICA'S $15 BILLION CONTRADICTION | South African companies earn an estimated
$15 billion every year from African markets. That same week, South African mobs attacked
African migrants in the streets — with the
government watching. Nigeria opened voluntary
repatriation flights. At least 130 citizens registered to go home. We also compare how
the US uses federal ICE enforcement against migrants versus how South Africa uses citizen
mobs — and ask which is more dangerous and why.


🔹 KENYA'S PENSION WEAPON | Senator Samson Cherargei filed a motion to strip former
President Uhuru Kenyatta of his entire retirement package — security, office, vehicles,
allowances — because Uhuru refuses to leave politics. The Presidential Retirement Benefits
Act says Parliament can do it. Article 151(3) of Kenya's Constitution says they can't.
One Senate chamber is about to decide which one wins.
 


In an exclusive interview with BBC's Focus on Africa, Botswana President Duma Boko said African leaders have a responsibility to position their countries strategically to benefit from relations with Western power. He also told Charles Gitonga about a push for freer movement of people and goods across the continent.⁣


The president is one of more than 30 heads of state and government, including prominent business leaders from Africa and France, meeting at the "Africa Forward" summit. This is the first time the two-day meeting is being held in an English-speaking country.


The summit, though focused on economic cooperation and investment, is being interpreted as an effort by Paris to stem its waning influence in Africa, with no representation from some of the former French colonies - notably Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger.







Mali has refused a humanitarian corridor for fighters trapped in Kidal — and the Aleppo precedent shows exactly why that decision could determine the entire Sahel war.
The Malian army and Africa Corps reportedly withdrew from Kidal on April 27th — and according to local sources and subsequent operations, that retreat may have been deliberate. JNIM and FLA fighters flooded into the city celebrating. Now they are surrounded on three sides by AES airstrikes from east and west, Malian ground forces pushing from the south, and a sealed Algerian border to the north. They are asking for a humanitarian corridor to leave. Mali is saying no. This episode explains why that refusal is not cruelty — it is strategy. And why the Syria-Aleppo lesson of 2016 is the exact reason the answer has to be no.
 
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