PSG ruins Manchester City’s Champions League dreams with dominant 4-2 win
2026-10-14
By AMINATA KABORE — JournalistContinue Reading
Niger’s press freedom crisis: the deeper story behind Moussa Kaka’s month of silence
2026-10-01
For over a month now, the disappearance and subsequent reported arrest of Moussa Kaka, a towering figure in Nigerien journalism and the long-standing correspondent in Niamey for a major international broadcaster, has ignited a growing wave of outrage. The journalist has been held without any official explanation for at leastContinue Reading
Cameroon’s anglophone crisis: the deeper forces behind a decade of ‘ghost town’ protests
2026-10-01
Every 1 October, Cameroon marks the anniversary of the 1961 reunification that joined the former French colony with Southern Cameroons, then under British administration. For many anglophone Cameroonians, however, that union remains contested. It was on this same date in 2017 that separatists in the North-West and South-West regions declaredContinue Reading
Mali’s Loulo-Gounkoto deal backlash: what the Barrick Gold union payoff means for the mine’s future
2026-10-01
The lifting of the strike notice at the Loulo-Gounkoto gold complex has done more than avert a shutdown. It has exposed a financial arrangement of a very different nature. Behind the public concession on working conditions, the agreement struck between Canadian mining giant Barrick Gold and union leaders rests onContinue Reading
Niger’s jailing of lawyer Lirwana: the fallout, the public debate and what happens next
2026-09-30
A red line crossed in Niamey The imprisonment of Abdourahamane Lirwana, a lawyer and human rights defender, has pushed Niger’s judicial crackdown into new and troubling territory. By jailing a member of the bar for nothing more than a social media post, the authorities have crossed a line that isContinue Reading
Benin’s 328 billion FCFA financing: the fallout, the debate and what happens next
2026-09-30
The Beninese government has confirmed the completion of a 500 million euro (roughly 328 billion FCFA) international bank financing package. The deal was made possible by an innovative arrangement that blends a partial credit guarantee from the African Development Fund (ADF) with a strategic second-loss insurance mechanism. At a timeContinue Reading
Burkina Faso: Ibrahim Traoré’s four-year record stirs public debate and raises questions about what comes next
2026-09-30
The interview granted by Ibrahim Traoré on 27 September 2026 to take stock of his four years in power primarily presented the official interpretation of his actions. Military operations, territories announced as reconquered, equipment, investments and economic initiatives: the government has many elements to defend its record. But a nationalContinue Reading
After Bucharest: Benin’s UCESIF mission stirs debate and charts next steps
2026-09-29
The three-day gathering of the Union of Economic and Social Councils and Similar Institutions of La Francophonie (UCESIF) in Bucharest has ended, and the fallout is already reshaping conversations in Benin and across the francophone world. From 28 to 30 September 2026, a delegation led by Abdoulaye Bio Tchané, presidentContinue Reading
Niger’s sovereignty slogan hits reality: SOMAÏR and SONIDEP fallout sparks national debate
2026-09-29
A UN stage, then a harsh reality check At the 81st United Nations General Assembly, Niger’s military-appointed Prime Minister, Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine, delivered what has become a familiar performance: a full-throated defense of national sovereignty. Before an audience of international envoys, the junta’s public face repeated the now-standard refrainsContinue Reading
South Africa reels after 27 killed in Johannesburg and Cape Town shootings: fallout, public outcry and what comes next
2026-09-28
South Africa has been jolted by a fresh outbreak of gun violence that left at least 27 people dead in two separate attacks in Johannesburg and the Cape Town area, reigniting a painful national debate over public safety and what authorities can realistically do to stop the killing. A deadlyContinue Reading
Burkina Faso’s shrinking public payroll stirs debate and hardship as parents face an uncertain school year
2026-09-26
As the school year opens in Burkina Faso, a troubling social reality confronts many families. Official figures show that the state’s salaried civil service workforce declined from 204,310 in 2021 to 202,393 in 2025, a reduction of 1,917 agents over four years. The 2025 breakdown is as follows: 140,438 men;Continue Reading
After General Simporé’s admission on RTB: public reaction and the uncertain road ahead for Burkina Faso’s army
2026-09-25
The statement that changed the conversation When General Célestin Simporé, Minister of Defence, appeared on the national broadcaster RTB to praise the security record of Captain Ibrahim Traoré, few expected what came next. In an attempt to explain the current security stalemate, he claimed that the Burkinabè army had historicallyContinue Reading