Mali

Judges said Al Hassan Ag Abdoul Aziz played a critical role in the Ansar Dine Islamist group, which took the city on the fringe of the Sahara desert in 2012 and tried to impose sharia Islamic law.

Iran expands influence in Africa via trade and arms sales, leveraging global chaos. Reports detail its strategies, including partnerships in Sudan and Niger.

"From now on, we say, whether you're from Mali, Niger or Burkina, we have the same destiny. We're going in together," said Burkinabe premier Appolinaire Joachim Kyelem de Tambela

With other African states that are members of ECOWAS considering military operations, several states connected to Niger have rushed to pledge support, many of whom have had coups recently.

Their album Welcome to Mali (2008) was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary World Music Album.

The borders that have reopened are mainly in remote desert areas. Niger's key entryways for trade and commerce remain closed due to sanctions imposed by the regional bloc.

"Any military intervention against Niger would be considered as a declaration of war against Burkina Faso and Mali," a statement reads.

Prigozhin confirmed to Afrique Media that a new rotation of Wagner forces had recently arrived in the Central African Republic ahead of a constitutional referendum on July 30

British media made light of the incident, with the BBC running the headline "You've Got Mali," a deliberately inaccurate reference to a 1998 Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan romcom.

Also targeted in Monday's action was Mali’s Chief of Staff of the Air Force, Alou Boi Diarra, and Malian Air Force Deputy Chief of Staff, Adama Bagayoko.

Concerns have been raised as the Russian-allied Mali government will soon have access to decades worth of mistakenly sent secrets.