Rachel Chason

Inside a thriving Chinatown neighborhood in the heart of West Africa Chinese migrants have created a lively community in the Malian capital of Bamako but the advance of Islamist militants has them questioning their futures.

I love this profile of a thriving Chinatown in Bamako by @rchason.bsky.social. The presence of ordinary Chinese entrepreneurs across Africa is always so much more grassroots and diverse than people might think if they only read 'Belt & Road' coverage

Islamist extremists have taken this African country to the brink A fuel blockade imposed by al-Qaeda-aligned militants has paralyzed the capital of Mali and roiled its repressive military government.

Mali has grown used to crises amid a 13-year insurgency. But residents, officials & experts say what’s happening now is different.
We reported from Bamako on how JNIM pulled off a fuel blockade that has crippled much of Mali and now threatens the government:

wapo.st/3IVCrIp

To fight extremists, Trump administration warms to Russia-friendly junta America has ramped up intelligence sharing with Mali’s repressive military junta, current and former U.S. officials said, as extremists gain ground in West Africa.

NEW: The U.S. has ramped up intelligence-sharing with Mali’s repressive military-led gov, officials say, as it targets al-Qaeda & Islamic State affiliates wreaking havoc in W. Africa

That’s part of a broader Trump admin push for re-engagement on the Sahel, despite Mali’s work w/ 🇷🇺

wapo.st/4n3cKEi

In just the past few months, JNIM has overrun cities & military bases in Burkina Faso & Mali; waged the deadliest attack in the history of Benin’s military and expanded its hardline rule across the region.

Our @washingtonpost.com story, with @adrianblancoramos.bsky.social:

wapo.st/3FGnzMi

Israel’s anti-war protests avoid Gaza. These women are changing that. Their movement is small, but the women say anger in Israel after the ceasefire ended has given them space to talk about the war’s toll on Gaza’s children.

Israel's anti-war protests have largely avoid what's happening in Gaza, instead focusing on bringing the hostages home & anger at Netanyahu.

After Israel ended the ceasefire, a group of Israeli women decided to change that....

Free link to full story: wapo.st/3GicwsA

Musicians Who Knew Amadou Bagayoko Pay Tribute With Their Songs (Gift Article) Amadou Bagayoko and his wife, the singer Mariam Doumbia, rose from icons in Mali to international success over the last two decades. After Mr. Bagayoko’s death, those who knew him chose a few of their...

🎸🇲🇱 A tribute to Amadou Bagayoko of Amadou & Mariam, featuring his childhood friend, mentor, and son.
www.nytimes.com/2025/04/14/w...

On the hunt for meteorites in the far reaches of the Sahara In the Mauritanian desert, nomadic herders look for unusual rocks with a dark surface, hoping to find rare meteorites and strike it big.

For those needing a fun news break, I present: The meteorite hunting herders of the Sahara

Meteorites fall with the same frequency around the world, but are especially easy to spot in some places. Mauritania is one of them

With @guypeterson.bsky.social

Free link: wapo.st/4j9Md6i

Danny Yatom previously served as the head of Mossad, Israel’s top spy agency. He signed a letter with around 250 former agents, including two other former spy chiefs, supporting the air force pilots.

“If they wanted to achieve a stoppage of a stream of other letters, they achieved the opposite.”

The Israel Defense Forces responded by saying that anyone who signed the letter would be fired, and Netanyahu slammed the signatories as “an extreme fringe group that is once again trying to break Israeli society from within.”

As talks were underway and the hostages were released, everyone was “hopeful,” said Guy Poran, a retired air force pilot who led the effort to organize the first letter. “We believed Israel was really negotiating toward making a deal.”

Among the letter-writers: Veterans, reservists, ex-spies and military officers, academics and former diplomats, and physicians who’ve spent months serving in Gaza.

Thousands of Israeli reservists condemn leadership for return to war Air force pilots were the first to express their discontent last week. Paratroopers, tank corps reservists, physicians and former Mossad members have followed.

In the past few days, there’s been a deluge of letters from Israelis — including from those on the frontlines of the war — calling for the hostages to be brought home and the fighting in Gaza to stop.

Our @washingtonpost.com story on the growing anger:

wapo.st/4idILqd

Russia’s Wagner mercenaries are leading a campaign of terror in Mali Fighting alongside Malian soldiers, Wagner mercenaries have massacred civilians and burned their villages in northern Mali, fueling a fast-growing refugee crisis.

“Mali was really a black box,” said Lou Osborn, the founder of All Eyes on Wagner. “The images we saw of Wagner in the country were not from Russians. Now Russians are communicating.”

Latest from @rchason.bsky.social & I www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/0...

The defiant broadcaster Military strongmen have silenced their critics and muzzled the media, threatening, arresting and exiling those who speak out for democracy. A few still dare.

But it was short-lived.

Recently, his guests laughed that an alleged coup attempt in Burkina Faso looked staged. The gov. complained.

One guest was arrested & remains imprisoned. Joliba is again suspended, Mohamed unsure of his future.

Free link: wapo.st/4kj21ox

But they hadn’t expected the public outcry.

For many, the suspension was seen
as a bridge too far. Facing massive public pressure, the media authority relented, shortening the suspension.

As Mohamed doubled down, defending his right to free speech in a sharply worded editorial, so did the media authority.

Joliba TV, it announced, would be taken off the air for two months

Inside the station, there was turmoil:

It wasn’t long before the first warning arrived, then things snowballed.

Mohamed said pressure on Joliba was high. The warnings had leaked in the press, and junta supporters harassed young Joliba employees.

He recounted receiving Facebook messages labeling him a traitor

The junta was popular, and there wasn’t always appetite to criticize it. Even Mohamed’s wife wondered if he should tone it down.

But he saw his job as being unafraid to criticize the military officers + raise the issue of a return to democracy.

Mohamed grew up during a time when Mali was a democratic model in the region, with a vibrant free press. When military officers took power in 2020, he was skeptical.

But it wasn’t until the government started shutting down French stations in 2022 that he had a premonition.

Mohamed, a 40 year old broadcaster at Joliba TV, is a journalist’s journalist. He’s studied the profession, teaches it & adores it. He also loves his country.

He left for school but always knew he’d come back to Mali. After the 2012 crisis, he saw his role as helping rebuild it

Across the Sahel, juntas are limiting freedom of speech. Journalists, activists & politicians have been arrested, disappeared and even sent to fight

Finding examples wasn’t hard but finding people who still dared speak was

Mohamed Attaher was clear—he wanted his story told…

DEATH IS OUR BUSINESS launches today! Grounded in my five years working in CAR, Mali, Libya, Ukraine, and Syria. Featuring interviews with 40 #Wagner mercenaries, executives, and affiliates.

www.amazon.com/Death-Our-Bu...

Thank you so much @laddecker.bsky.social

Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts: www.lawfaremedia.org/article/lawf...

On today's @lawfare.bsky.social podcast @rchason.bsky.social & @johnalechner.bsky.social help us understand forces that have converged in the Sahel over the past couple years through a series of portraits, including a militia commander, coup leader, defiant broadcaster, Russian mercenary, and more.

Harsh findings on Trump’s aid freeze kept secret by USAID watchdog Two reports showing dire impacts on Africa and Gaza have not been released in fear of Trump’s wrath, official says.

Suppressing reports that show severe harm. www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...

How we reported these stories Washington Post journalists faced numerous challenges in reporting from the Sahel region of Africa, including hostility from locals and restrictions on access.

We hope these profiles offer a window in the immense complexity of the Sahel, where access for journalists has become immensely difficult

More to come in the next few days, and more on how it came together here: wapo.st/4k1Ex75

And there’s Mohamed Attaher, one of a few fully independent journalists in Mali.

Mohamed said he’s been questioned by almost everyone — the media authority, his students, even his wife — about whether he can soften his stances

But he won’t back down: wapo.st/3X6wb48

And for our profile of President Ibrahim Traoré, we talked to multiple people close to the captain turned coup leader.

Our piece looks at the early battle experiences that formed him — and the stubbornness that some say plagues him.

His story: wapo.st/433orDL

Jackie Li, who was in Niger when a coup rocked the West, revealed how much she and others were pushing to stay involved in Niger even after the coup, speaking to a bigger — stil unresolved — tension in the USG on balancing security & democracy

Her story: wapo.st/3CWcN33