Stories of interest from today:

Niger: New Drone Base Highlights a Shift in US-West African Relations (ISN)

Libya becomes ‘the new Mali’ as Islamists shift in Sahara (Reuters)
If Mali is the “new” Afghanistan then does that make Libya the new Afghanistan?

@1d4tw Classic narrative. Come in, destroy, get what you want, leave, shrug at the chaos that’s left behind.

— Joeva Rock (@southsidetrees) May 31, 2013

AU Prepares Its Shock Troops (IRIN)

France to Support Projects in Ghana (The Chronicle- GH)
This past week Pres. Mahama traveled to Paris to meet with Pres. Hollande, a meeting that was bound to happen, as Ghana is considered a key ally to the US, and presumably France, in their mission in Mali. Most of their meetings took place behind closed doors, so more information on what the two presidents discussed in terms of the military might remain confidential and private.

Seven Day Load Shedding Announced (The Chronicle- GH)
Ghanaians only had a few days to prepare for the latest round of load-shedding (intentional power-outage), after Pres. Mahama had previously said load-shedding would end by the end of May.