TOP STORIES

1. Dioura death toll climbs past 100 as JNIM widens attacks

The death toll from JNIM's 10 September assault on the Malian army camp at Dioura has climbed steadily as more accounts emerge. Security and military sources put the figure at over 100 Malian soldiers killed, including two officers, plus five Russian Africa Corps fighters; Reuters sources cited a toll as high as 130 killed and more than 100 captured. JNIM itself claims 150 killed and 93 captured, a figure that cannot be independently verified. Mali's general staff has acknowledged losses without releasing an official toll.

JNIM also struck military positions at Sévaré and Konna, with Sévaré's airport zone hit by drone attacks and gunfire over several nights, sending wounded soldiers and Russian fighters to the city's hospital. The surge prompted President Assimi Goïta to convene a crisis meeting in Bamako on 20 September; no readout has been released. In a separate independence-day address, Goïta called for "reconciliation between Malian brothers" without addressing casualties.

Sources: Africa Radio/AFP | Bénin Web TV | RFI

2. Chad places new disarmament coordination body under military intelligence

A presidential decree dated 22 September created a Coordination mixte de désarmement (CMD) in Chad, bringing together defense and security forces along with a special detachment of the judicial police under the direct authority of the Directorate-General of Military Intelligence (DGRM). The decree does not specify the body's operational mandate, target population or geographic focus.

The arrangement echoes an earlier disarmament commission set up in December 2020, which was also supervised by a mixed force of gendarmes, nomadic guards and soldiers led by senior military intelligence officers. Keeping disarmament authority under military intelligence rather than civilian ministries has implications for how the operation and any abuses would be overseen.

Sources: Tchadinfos | Alwihda Info

3. Niger, Algeria advance trans-Saharan pipeline survey and hydrocarbons cooperation

Algeria's Hydrocarbons Minister Mohamed Arkab completed a two-day visit to Niamey on 21-22 September, meeting President Tiani, Prime Minister Zeine and officials from state oil company Sonidep. Talks focused on next steps for the Nigerien section of the planned trans-Saharan gas pipeline, including a topographic survey and studies to define the route, technical constraints and construction conditions on Niger's territory. The pipeline, roughly 4,128 km long, is meant to carry up to 30 billion cubic metres of gas a year, with an 841 km stretch running through Niger. The two sides also discussed extending hydrocarbons exploration cooperation — Sonatrach already operates the Kafra block — to other blocks, notably Bilma.

No binding agreements, financing or timelines were disclosed beyond these stated next steps. Continued Algerian engagement gives Niger's junta an alternative hydrocarbons partner amid strained relations with Western governments and Nigeria.

Sources: Journal du Niger | ANP

4. Four strike notices threaten Mali's Loulo-Gounkoto gold complex

Four separate labour disputes at Mali's largest gold complex and its related state mining administration are set to converge into overlapping strike action from 28 September. Workers at SOMILO and GOUNKOTO, which operate the neighbouring Loulo and Gounkoto mines, have each called four-day strikes over demands unmet since February. Catering contractor Food & Events Africa faces a five-day strike over overtime pay and benefits, while mining administration unions have called a separate 72-hour strike over salaries and bonuses.

It remains unclear whether the strikes will be averted through last-minute talks; Barrick Mining and Mali's mining ministry did not immediately comment. A multi-front strike could disrupt production and government revenue at a sensitive moment for Bamako's mining-sovereignty push, months after Barrick and Mali ended their dispute over control of the complex in November 2025.

Sources: Journal du Mali | Bénin Web TV/Reuters

ALSO IMPORTANT

• Niger: Journalist Moussa Kaka has been missing since 31 August; his family and civil society groups are now publicly pressing President Tiani for concrete information three weeks into his disappearance. RFI
• Chad/Togo: Luc Beyam, secretary-general of the Chadian armed group MPRD, has been detained in Lomé since 17 September over an unpaid hotel bill of more than 15 million CFA francs (nearly €23,000). He said he arrived in May at the invitation of Chadian authorities for peace talks, with his early hotel costs covered before contact was cut off last month. Neither government has commented. RFI
• Chad/Central African Republic: Chadian intelligence services arrested Aboulkhassim Algoni Tidjani in early September, presenting him as one of the masterminds of the Am Dafok attack in CAR's Vakaga prefecture, according to Africa Intelligence reporting cited by Alwihda Info. He is described as a former adviser to CAR President Faustin-Archange Touadéra and an active recruiter of Chadian fighters linked to Sudan's Rapid Support Forces. Alwihda Info