Niger’s leader said three military-led governments in Africa’s vast Sahel region plan to more than triple their joint force to 18,000 troops to counter a wave of Islamist attacks.

Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye launched his own political party on Saturday, using the occasion to consolidate his support base and stake out an identity distinct from ally-turned-rival Ousmane Sonko.

Mali said it’s awaiting Washington’s official position following a report that the Trump administration is weighing military action against Islamist militants in the West African country, while stressing that any such intervention must respect the country’s sovereignty.

Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye began the process of turning his coalition of supporters into a political party, in a bid to consolidate his power base after splitting with former ally Ousmane Sonko.

Senegal is said to pick Lazard Inc. as a financial adviser, according to people familiar with the matter, a sign the government may be studying a debt overhaul.

Mali and Algeria agreed to reopen their airspace to civilian and military aircraft and return ambassadors to their posts, signaling an easing of yearlong tensions between the northern African nations.

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Unfinished railway is emblematic of the country’s fiscal strains.

Unfinished railway is emblematic of the country’s fiscal strains.

Mali has been hit by several attacks targeting military positions in major towns, including Gao and Sévaré, the army said.

Senegal is open to a debt restructuring as mounting payment pressures threaten to strain key sectors of the economy, according to a senior member of President Bassirou Diomaye Faye’s cabinet.

Equatorial Guinea has ordered a review of more than 50 state companies and agencies, broadening a government crackdown on waste after the cabinet resigned after failing to meet performance targets.

Senegal’s National Assembly will assess any solutions for the country’s debt challenges, including a possible restructure of billions of dollars in loans, on whether they advance a broader economic-transformation agenda, Speaker Ousmane Sonko said.

Ousmane Sonko was reelected president of Senegal’s majority Pastef party on Saturday, cementing his position as the dominant figure within the country’s governing movement at a time of escalating tensions with rival President Bassirou Diomaye Faye.

Ousmane Sonko was reelected president of Senegal’s majority Pastef party on Saturday, cementing his position as the dominant figure within the country’s governing movement at a time of escalating tensions with rival President Bassirou Diomaye Faye.

Senegal made payments to bondholders ahead of schedule on two of its foreign-currency notes as the West African nation prepares to host the International Monetary Fund for talks on a new program later this month, according to people familiar with the matter.

Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye appointed a new cabinet that his estranged ally Ousmane Sonko vowed to boycott, deepening a political rift in the West African country as it navigates a debt crisis.

Senegalese lawmakers reinstated Ousmane Sonko as a lawmaker and then elected him as speaker of the National Assembly, days after President Bassirou Diomaye Faye abruptly dismissed him as prime minister in a split that has fractured the ruling coalition.

Senegal’s dollar bonds fell sharply as investors digested days of political turmoil after the West African nation’s prime minister was fired and then swiftly returned to a position of power that could undermine President Bassirou Diomaye Faye.

Senegal President Bassirou Diomaye Faye’s abrupt dismissal of Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko risks throwing the government’s stalled talks with the International Monetary Fund into deeper disarray.