This update has been compiled by Christer Wilkinson from a variety of sources.

May 2018 update:

Tchad
Tchad had an eventful month.
It started with the Tchad president announcing a general amnesty for all political opposition opponents in exile, but with some restrictions. The Tchad president then instituted, despite opposition protests, the first government under the new constitution, with no prime minister. However there was a glitch when two members declined to swear in on a “holy” book. Then in late May two opposition politicians held since March in prison were freed.

On the labour front, the civil servants union in Tchad threatened to resume their strike after the agreement to pay their back die wages (after the last strike) was broken by the government in mid-May. At the end of May the Tchad president offered to pay these civil servants “in kind” rather than by cash, and the unions immediately rejected this offer, and threatened an immediate strike.

In the west of the country, there was another fatal conflict with Boko Harem rebels near Lake Tchad in which four Tchad soldiers were killed. Tchad still “hosts” a significant number of refugees from Boko Harem, the CAR and Darfur. UN agencies reported that at least 500m$ would be needed in humanitarian aid to support internally displaced people, and refugees from other countries.

On the economic side, the price of oil is still higher than it was, giving father relief to the Tchad budget, and it was announced that a Singapore company had taken control of the major enterprise, COTON Tchad, on May 18th
In the far north of Tchad, on the north side of the Tibesti Mountains, a UN agency was reported to have assisted some 57 abandoned migrants at the Libyan border. No details of which location were provided.

Hostages
No new western hostages, but some Mali teachers were kidnapped mid-month; fortunately they were released a few days later. There is no fresh news about any of the western hostages still held by various rebel groups. The son of Sophia Petronin, one of the western hostages, announced that he wants to intervene personally and negotiate with the kidnappers for his mother’s release.

Niger
Instability in the south west of Niger continues. Fresh attacks by Mali groups on Fulani tribe people were again reported early May, and another report later in May reported some 17 dead and numerous people injured at the town of Inates near to the Mali board from an attack by a rebel group of some kind crossing from Mali.

On the positive side, a new commercially viable gold find in south western Niger near to the Burkina Faso border was announced in early May, and the Niger government also announced that work on the new pipeline to connect the oil files near Diffa with the Cameroun port (via Tchad) to allow Niger to export oil will commence latter this year.

In the capital, Niamey, which is quieter after the demonstrations last month, several political activists from the opposition party are still in jail, since their imprisonment in March. Several NGOs have appealed for their release.

There were also a number of reports this month on the migrant traffic changes and the impact on Agades, the main town in the north east of the country and the gateway town for the route to Libya.

The reduction in this migrant traffic as a result of the measures taken by the EU and the Niger government, to reduce the traffic to the EU via Libya, is reported to be having significant negative economic effects in Agades which had been profiting by this traffic (in replacement of the previous tourist traffic).

At the same time reports came in of an increase in the Algerian deportation of migrants to Niger via Assamarka. Two reports indicate that migrants were taken to the boarder and left here: previous deportations took them all the way to Agades. According to the IOM, up to 1000 a day have been left there. There have been deaths as a result. Reports on numbers of fatalities vary.

And in the other direction, reports came in of a number of Sudanese migrant arriving in Agades being forcibly taken north to the Libyan boarder from whence they came. This generated numerous protests within Niger and by NGOs.
Towards the end of the month the IOM reported that some 2000 migrants had returned from either Libya or Algeria and arrived in Agades during May, and that the relief centers were not able to cope with this number.

Mali
For Mali, a quiet month (maybe the hotter weather was a factor)
A small Mali army detachment was reported to have arrived at Kidal as part of the peace agreements. Interesting the pixs associated with this report showed a large number of light-weight motor cycles, the current vehicle of choice by armed rebels...a coincidence?

The area around Menaka, in the far southeast near the Niger border, continued to be unstable in early May with armed Tuareg, Daoussak and Fulani groups reportedly attacking civilians. The reports claimed a hundred killed in the previous month (April).

Then towards the end of the month, in late May there were fresh reports of jihadist activities in central Mali, and the capture by rebels of the préfet de Tenenkou, a district in central Mali near Mopti. And, at about the same time, an attack at the regular fair at Talataye, in the southeast near the Burkina Faso border caused a reported 20 deaths. Reports of these casualties vary. The assailants were again reported to arrive by motor cycle.

On the international front, early in May a report came in that the Polisario are reported to be trading arms with the Sahel Islamic groups. This coincided with a report about Iran supplying the Polisario with more advanced weapons, which caused protests by Morocco. It is not clear how the Polisario got these weapons, which reportedly included anti-aircraft devices.

On the economic front Mauritania agreed to supply electricity to western Mali, to supplement the local supplies within Mali.