@ All writers here:

Thank you much, for keeping us updated!

There is no other Source of Information available who provide so much compressed information about the topic. That saves many travellers hours of googling.

Surfy

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About Overlanding, Travelogues, Equipment
Trans-Africa over the west coast

I would agree, and that is one of the reasons this is the most (?) read thread on the HUBB. The writing has been somewhat curtailed, as we were asked to keep it relevant to travel. Still, I would like to discuss what is going on in Ubari, Libya right now as this will have impact on future Saharian travel.
MBM is building a new movement, protected by Malian (not local) tuaregs who have moved to the area.
There are people here who know the region and others with long experience from the Sahara.

There are two hostages missing from the video.
Serge Lazarevic, who was abducted from the hostel in Hombori two years ago (together with Philippe Verdon. Verdon was executed by Aqim in March 2013).
And Gilberto Leal, abducted in Diema a year ago.
Perhaps they are held by another group, or in another location?

.

Has this video actually been released to the public? I see some news quote that a News Editor in Morocco was arrested for releasing a video for Al Qaeda
Magoo2

The south of Libya became inaccessible to regular tourism even before MBM and the rest moved in. And reports of speedy northern transits between Tunisia and Egypt seem to have died down this year.
You'd hope it won't take 10 years of ever-bolder attacks/abductions, as was the case in north Mali, for action to be taken in southern Libya (article), but that must depend on what they get up to. You'd suppose they pass the time running day-to-day trafficking, but Ubari is a lot nearer to eastern Algeria's gas installations than Ametetai. If In Amenas last Jan was organised from Mali, you'd imagine doing more of the same from Ubari would be less difficult to pull off. As we know MBM's outfit hit Agadez and Arlit from Libya last May. But until foreigners [BP, etc] come back in, you'd assume hitting Libya's installations would be seen as below the belt and perhaps pointless?

Elsewhere south Algeria seems closed to foreigners according to various agencies (others contradict).
Egypt and the Gilf seem to be a bureaucratic free-for-all.
North Chad seems a bright spot, but to get there overland is a long, expensive trek. Better to fly in.
Morocco and WS - business as usual.
Mauritania - the usually visited places in the south and west of the country still seem to be accessible, albeit with a bit more supervision than before.
Northeast Niger - presumably under the influence of AQIM-types and associated traffickers.
North Mali - well few ever went beyond Timbuktu/Gao since the Tanezrouft piste closed. I don't suppose that will reopen soon, but will be a positive sign if it does.

Short version IMO: largely FUBAR'd for years to come.

Ch

PS: Serge Lazarevic was claimed by AQIM two years ago, but perhaps by another faction from the 7. Gilberto Leal was thought to be with MUJAO - does that include MBM's new group? Who knows.

Thanks for a cheerful outlook
but probably true - Libya, south Algeria. N. Niger and N. Mali won't be accessible for a long time.
Libyan border patrols reporting 'tents of Al Qaeda' are told to close their eyes.
Trafic transfrontalier dans le Sud libyen | Afrique | DW.DE | 17.09.2013
borders wide open.
Niger welcomes armed drones http://www.trust.org/item/20130918153035-3ya1t
The Swedish hostage was on television this morning, filmed in June.

Mali now
bombs went off in Kidal and TB2 the other day. Suicide bombers in TB2.
also
Winning: France Seeks Permanent Victory In Mali

I heard of the large cache of arms they had found near the border, and thought it was on the Libyan side - but no, this was near Illizi!
Hundreds of RPGs, anti-air craft missiles, MANPADs, rocket launchers, land mines, beside the usual rifles and ammo.
UPDATE 2-Algerian troops find huge arms cache on Libya border | Reuters