The nations spanning the Sahelian belt, a geographical area stretching from Mali to Chad, hardly present themselves as an emerging economic powerhouse. Far from being a magnet for foreign direct investment like Singapore, the region faces severe challenges. Key economic indicators for Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger reveal significant vulnerabilities.Continue Reading
Why does corruption and financial crime remain unchecked in Niger? Every year, the Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) serves as a stark reminder of the state of public governance worldwide. The latest report confirms a troubling trend: corruption is not receding, even in nations with strong democratic institutions. ThisContinue Reading
Minister of health examines conditions at the Niger-Turkey friendship hospital The Minister of Health and Public Hygiene in Niger, Colonel-major Garba Hakimi, conducted an on-site inspection on February 25, 2026, at the Niger-Türkiye Friendship Hospital in Niamey. The purpose was to assess working conditions, evaluate infrastructure and equipment, and engageContinue Reading
On February 20, a judicial injunction, initiated by a collective claiming adherence to organizational statutes, resulted in a court order to suspend the ordinary congress intended for leadership renewal. The Union Nationale des Journalistes de Côte d’Ivoire (UNJCI) has since decided to appeal this ruling. With the ordinary congress haltedContinue Reading
Burkina Faso’s Health Sector Resilience: WHO’s 2024-2025 Biennial Report Highlights Key Advances The World Health Organization (WHO)’s 2024–2025 Biennial Report for Burkina Faso meticulously chronicles significant accomplishments achieved amidst a complex backdrop of security, humanitarian, and climatic adversities. Among the standout achievements is the widespread rollout of the **malaria vaccine**Continue Reading
The landscape of partisan politics in Burkina Faso underwent a radical transformation at the end of January 2026. On January 29, the administration of Captain Ibrahim Traoré formally disbanded all political organizations, including the very groups that had championed his rise to power in September 2022. While these organizations hadContinue Reading
Burkina Faso cuts medicine prices by up to 72% to boost healthcare access The Government of Burkina Faso has announced a historic reduction in the prices of essential generic medicines and medical consumables, with cuts reaching as much as 72%. This bold initiative, supported by a 3 billion FCFA financialContinue Reading
The 39th African Union summit in Addis Ababa concluded with a bold declaration: silencing weapons and rejecting unconstitutional power transfers. But can this stance hold weight when those behind coups are later legitimized at the ballot box? Paul-Simon Handy, a Cameroonian researcher and regional director for the Institute for SecurityContinue Reading
i Vue des panneaux solaires installés par MSF à l’hôpital de Niafunké, dans le nord du Mali. © Lamine Keita In the Timbuktu region of northern Mali, MSF has equipped the Niafounké hospital with a modern solar panel system. This shift toward renewable energy boosts the facility’s independence and ensuresContinue Reading
Mali’s ranking drops in 2025 global corruption index Mali has slid one position in the 2025 Corruption Perceptions Index released by Transparency International, now sitting at 136th place globally. This decline places the country behind neighbors Niger and Burkina Faso within the Alliance of Sahel States (AES). The annual indexContinue Reading
Click to expand Image At least 17 civilians, including four children, lost their lives in a suspected Niger military drone strike on a busy marketplace in western Niger. The attack, which occurred on January 6, 2026, also left 13 people injured. Human Rights Watch has indicated that the operation, whileContinue Reading
The capital of Niger, Niamey, witnessed an unprecedented security breach in recent weeks. On the night of January 28 to 29, dozens of Islamic State fighters in the Greater Sahara stormed the city’s international airport and the adjacent military base 101. The attackers targeted civilian aircraft and set military equipmentContinue Reading