Middle East & Africa | Lines in the sand

West Africa’s coastal states are bracing for a jihadist storm

With French troops leaving Mali, its neighbours are at risk

Ivorians prepare for the onslaught
|JACQUEVILLE AND ABIDJAN

A DRONE WHIRS overhead as Ivorian special forces creep out of the undergrowth towards a mock village. French trainers watch closely. Nearby, Ghanaian commandos roar down a dusty road before an explosion sends them retreating under the gaze of British soldiers. Operation Flintlock, an annual counter-terrorism training exercise, appears to be going just as it should: regional forces learning from grizzled Western commandos.

This article appeared in the Middle East & Africa section of the print edition under the headline “Lines in the sand”

Where will he stop?

From the February 26th 2022 edition

Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents

Explore the edition

Discover more

President Joe Biden shakes hands with President João Manuel Gonçalve Lourenço of the Republic of Angola

America under Joe Biden plays the pragmatist in Africa

Donald Trump is likely to follow suit

Leishmaniasis research by DNDi

New cures for Africa’s most gruesome diseases

Sleeping sickness, riverblindess and more could be tackled


Benin Plaques, 16th-17th centuries. Relief plaque made of brass cast using the cire perdue (lost wax) technique

Nigeria seeks to restore pride in its artefacts, ancient and modern

A new museum in Benin City will showcase “a cauldron of creativity”


Donald Trump’s new Arab pal

Will a Lebanese-American businessman influence the incoming administration in the region?

Israel and Hizbullah strike a fragile deal to end their war

Joe Biden makes a last push to bring peace to the Middle East

The arrest warrant is a diplomatic disaster for Netanyahu

But may also undermine the International Criminal Court