The deadly hotel siege in Mali's capital was apparently ordered by Algerian militant Mokhtar Belmokhtar—who was twice reported killed in military operations over the past two years.
The Pentagon has dispatched the first contingent of a 300-strong force to northern Cameroon, where they are to provide intelligence for the regional military alliance against Boko Haram.
Coordinated suicide attacks left over 40 dead in villages in western Chad and northern Cameroon that host thousands of Nigerian refugees who have fled Boko Haram violence.
An Ansar Dine militant was turned over to the International Criminal Court, accused of destruction of religious monuments and other war crimes committed in Timbuktu.
Burkina Faso's interim President Michel Kafando was formally reinstated after coup leaders capitulated in the face of popular pressure and mediation by regional leaders.
The democratic transition begun by last year's popular revolution was aborted by a military coup d'etat in Burkina Faso, sparking street protests in which three have been killed.
Boko Haram, now calling itself Islamic State West Africa, carried out a wave of deadly suicide bombings as a multilateral military alliance prepares to take the field against the jihadists.
Authorities in Chad announced the arrest of key Boko Haram leaders amid a wave of deadly suicide bombngs in the capital, N'Djamena.
Ivory Coast sent troops into Mali after Islamist militia Ansar Dine staged a series of raids along the border between the two countries, briefly seizing several towns.
Mali's government is boasting a deal with Tuareg leaders granting autonomy to the northern homeland of Azawad—but the biggest rebel factions are holding out for more power.
Sudanese army forces raped more than 200 women and girls in an organized attack on the north Darfur town of Tabit in October, Human Rights Watch charges.
Traffickers have established a dope-for-guns pipeline across the Sahel and Sahara, integrating Boko Haram into drug-smuggling networks that stretch to Asia.
