Great trip and I would love to join you....
You need to check out the Africa routes in a bit more detail. The Paris/Dakar was moved to South America because of trouble around that part of the world so check out your routes there. The situation changes frequently, and that in itself presents problems.
Timbuktu is a tough tough ride from what I read, so check out the articles on this site. There are tons of reports, so start with them.
The borders between African states are nothing like in Europe so check out what's possible between the countries you plan to travel through. Some borders are not open and tracts of adjoining land are mined.
Aside from the poiltics of getting from Mali to Tunisia (can it be done????), I'd avoid solo travel in the Sahara. Obviously the time of year is critical but it is stupid to do it solo at any time. There is no recovery or rescue in the Sahara! Some people have had miraculous rescues but we haven't heard from the ones that haven't. Check out Chris Scotts books and website on Sahara travel.
You might need to modify your route but you have the making of a great trip.
Enjoy.
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