Nina Wilen
ninawilen.bsky.social
Nina Wilen
@ninawilen.bsky.social
Dir. Africa Program Egmont Institute, Assoc Prof Lund University, xEIC International Peacekeeping. Research on military, Sahel & Great Lakes, peacekeeping, gender, interventions
Reposted by Nina Wilen
🚨 Upcoming event 🚨

Peacekeeping, Peacebuilding and Human Rights WG Book talk on the fantastic book Securing the Sahel 📚
'A 'security traffic jam' or networking missions in Mali?' with Nina Wilen 🎉

Held on 19 November sign up now 👉 https://ow.ly/IRhp50Xp9bs

Oxford University Press
November 10, 2025 at 12:01 PM
"We knew in 2011 when #Libya was collapsing that we needed to hurry up…they came with huge amounts of #arms: convoys of arms … It was like a huge supermarket of arms for free … The Secretary-General requested a draft #strategy"

#Sahel @oxunipress.bsky.social @egmontinstitute.bsky.social
November 5, 2025 at 9:24 AM
❓ Is the #military regime in #Mali running out of gas?

✍ I'm analysing the current crisis in my latest for @egmontinstitute.bsky.social

- Fall of Bamako seems unlikely
- Negotiated settlement possible
- Social unrest likely

#Sahel #JNIM #jihadist
www.egmontinstitute.be/is-malis-mil...
Is Mali’s Military Regime Running out of Gas? - Egmont Institute
After almost two months of an economic blockade imposed by the Al-Qaida affiliated group JNIM, (Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin), the Malian military regime is under pressure to find solutions to...
www.egmontinstitute.be
November 3, 2025 at 1:32 PM
Reposted by Nina Wilen
📄𝗡𝗘𝗪 𝗣𝗨𝗕𝗟𝗜𝗖𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 by @ninawilen.bsky.social
@egmontinstitute.bsky.social

"Is Mali’s military regime running out of gas?"

#Mali #Sahel #Security #Africa #Governance #JNIM #Geopolitics #EgmontInstitute

𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 👉 tinyurl.com/yhc7rkm2
November 3, 2025 at 11:22 AM
The..ideologies which #Russia..harness, like #Pan-Africanism, #sovereigntism & anti-neocolonialism, are not illegitimate...But..can be used against the..Russians, who, in the 21st century..seek personal enrichment from the plunder of..African nations"
#Africa #Sahel #Europe
ecfr.eu/publication/...
The bear and the bot farm: Countering Russian hybrid warfare in Africa
Russia has many quiet enemies in Africa. Working together, like-minded Africans and Europeans can roll back its troublesome influence.
ecfr.eu
October 24, 2025 at 1:49 PM
Reposted by Nina Wilen
📄𝗡𝗘𝗪 𝗣𝗨𝗕𝗟𝗜𝗖𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 by @ninawilen.bsky.social
@egmontinstitute.bsky.social
@oxfordacademic.bsky.social

"Securitizing the Sahel: Analysing External Interventions and their Consequences"

#SecurityForceAssistance #Securitization #PeaceOperations #CivilMilitary

𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 👉 tinyurl.com/bdfpf7cc
October 23, 2025 at 8:15 AM
➡️Want to read my book "Securitizing the #Sahel"?

@oupacademic.bsky.social has made the introductory chapter available here until 10 November!

It outlines the main argument & structure of the book!

#Niger #Burkina #Mali #military #security #Barkhane #EUCAP #EUTM

academic.oup.com/book/61385/c...
Introduction: Security Force Assistance in the Sahel
Abstract. The introductory chapter situates security force assistance (SFA) in the Sahel within broader debates on military interventions, external securit
academic.oup.com
October 23, 2025 at 8:08 AM
"The #military never wins the #war. We were incapable to do it with 6,000, but even if we had had 60,000 we could never have won the war, and we repeated it, repeated it, repeated it."

Interview #Barkhane officer

#Sahel #Mali #Niger #Burkina #France
global.oup.com/academic/pro...
October 13, 2025 at 9:53 AM
Reposted by Nina Wilen
INSO endure une situation épouvantable au Burkina depuis juillet, qui empire encore aujourd'hui. Soutien et courage à leurs équipes
Déclaration d’INSO concernant nos activités au Burkina Faso et la détention continue de notre personnel. | International NGO Safety Organisation (INSO)
ngosafety.org
October 7, 2025 at 9:47 PM
Reposted by Nina Wilen
This is a fantastic achievement. Congrats, Nina, for producing the most comprehensive book to date on the foreign intervention in the Sahel. What makes this work so precious, among other things, is the unique body of evidence it relies on, collected year after year in multiple Sahelian countries
👉 Look at that! 😊

Today the electronic version of my book:

⭐ "Securitizing the #Sahel. Analysing External #Interventions and their Consequences"⭐

is published on-line with @oxunipress.bsky.social!

#security #defense #military #Niger #Mali #Burkina #Chad #France #UN #EU #US
October 6, 2025 at 3:45 PM
"Our commander told us to lie about the results…We had to make it a success…On paper we trained 800 soldiers during 6 months. But you don’t have 800 soldiers trained if you have 15 Kalashnikovs, no equipment & they all turned up in sandals"

#EUTM #Mali
global.oup.com/academic/pro...
global.oup.com
October 6, 2025 at 7:38 AM
"#Military juntas in #Mali, #Niger & #Burkina Faso..are now experiencing “buyer’s remorse” after ousting #US & French troops...Pentagon strategists..hope to sideline the Russians & get back into the West #African security business."

#Russia #Sahel #France #jihadist

www.wsj.com/world/africa...
Russia’s Ambitious Plans in Africa Are Unraveling
Not long ago a rising military force in Africa, Russia is now struggling to maintain its footprint on the continent.
www.wsj.com
September 30, 2025 at 11:45 AM
👉 Look at that! 😊

Today the electronic version of my book:

⭐ "Securitizing the #Sahel. Analysing External #Interventions and their Consequences"⭐

is published on-line with @oxunipress.bsky.social!

#security #defense #military #Niger #Mali #Burkina #Chad #France #UN #EU #US
September 22, 2025 at 8:09 AM
Reposted by Nina Wilen
📄𝗡𝗘𝗪 𝗣𝗨𝗕𝗟𝗜𝗖𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 by @ninawilen.bsky.social
@egmontinstitute.bsky.social

“The Cost of Forgetting Africa in Security Strategy”

#Africa #Security #Geopolitics #EUdefence

𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 👉 tinyurl.com/mr226je2
September 16, 2025 at 8:09 AM
✍️ Dans @lalibre.be aujourd’hui, j’alerte: #Europe & #Belgique ne doivent pas oublier #Afrique dans les débats sur la #sécurité & #défense

-Expansion #djihadiste 300%
-Influence #Russie #Chine
-Croissance démographique → impact inévitable sur l’Europe

#foresight
www.lalibre.be/debats/opini...
September 9, 2025 at 12:35 PM
#UN rights chief..slammed the indefinite suspension of #elections in #Mali and the #junta-run country's "deepening crackdown" on civil society...since April alone, there had been hundreds of extrajudicial executions, arbitrary arrests & detentions"

www.barrons.com/news/un-slam...
UN Slams 'Deepening Crackdown' In Junta-run Mali
UN rights chief Volker Turk on Thursday slammed the indefinite suspension of elections in Mali and the junta-run country's "deepening crackdown" on civil society.
www.barrons.com
September 5, 2025 at 3:14 PM
"For centuries, the maps used to understand the world have distorted Africa’s size compared to most northerly nations...
".#Africa is about 3 times larger than #Canada & more than 1,5 the size of #Russia"

www.reuters.com/graphics/AFR...
September 3, 2025 at 1:30 PM
Least #Europe forgets... #Africa is currently witnessing the fastest growing jihadist expansion in the world:

"Nearly half of the fatalities (10,685) in the past year have been in the #Sahel."

africacenter.org/spotlight/en...
September 1, 2025 at 9:38 AM
Excellent examination of #Wagner in #Mali showing increasing tensions:

"Wagner fighters often operate outside the chain of command, use FAMA equipment without permission"

"Wagner...display racist behavior toward the FAMA"

#Russia #Sahel
thesentry.org/reports/merc...
Mercenary Meltdown - The Sentry
August 2025 Download the full report The first Wagner Group fighters arrived in Bamako in January 2022 to assist the Malian military junta in its counterterrorism campaign. Three and a half years late...
thesentry.org
August 29, 2025 at 7:29 AM
In my latest for @monde-diplomatique.fr, I'm painting a bleak picture of the #security & #political situation in the #Sahel:

- #Jihadist expansion
- #authoritarian rule entrenched
- #Russia #Turkey #Gulf states increasing influence

#Niger #Mali #Burkina
www.monde-diplomatique.fr/2025/09/WILE...
Dans les pays du Sahel, les juntes en échec face aux djihadistes
En kiosques // par Nina Wilén (septembre 2025)
www.monde-diplomatique.fr
August 28, 2025 at 10:10 PM
Reposted by Nina Wilen
Reposted by Nina Wilen
🎧 Would you like to delve deeper into global matters with experts from the @egmontinstitute.bsky.social ?

Listen to our #podcast “Global Affairs Unpacked” on Spotify!

@ninawilen.bsky.social @atjmattelaer.bsky.social #SvenBiscop

#internationalrelations #thinktank

👉 tinyurl.com/egmontpodcast
July 28, 2025 at 8:06 AM
"'Our task is not only to participate in #uranium #mining, but to create an entire system for the development of civil nuclear power in #Niger,"...official Russian statement...."

#Sahel #resources #minerals #Russia #France

www.barrons.com/news/russia-...
Russia Wants To Mine Niger's Uranium, Energy Minister Says
Russia wishes to mine uranium in Niger, a top source of the radioactive metal ruled by a military junta friendly to the Kremlin, Energy Minister Sergei Tsivilev has said.
www.barrons.com
July 31, 2025 at 9:42 AM
I was interviewed for this article in @FDNewsOfficial about #Russia's influence in the #Sahel & West #Africa more broadly, with some telling infographics

#Europa kijkt met argusogen naar toenemende Russische invloed in de #Sahel

fd.nl/politiek/156... #FD #Politiek
July 27, 2025 at 6:54 PM
"Wagner operatives who focus on #gold & #diamond mines..complain to #CAR.. that despite assuming greater #combat risks..they receive similar economic privileges as the Rwandans"

#Russia fighting for influence in #Africa against #Rwanda

www.theguardian.com/world/2025/j...
Rwanda and Russia look to lock in influence as CAR’ president eyes another term
Kigali and Moscow expected to back re-election of Faustin-Archange Touadéra as they seek to shield strategic interests
www.theguardian.com
July 14, 2025 at 2:16 PM