The Sahel nation of Burkina Faso registered the world’s largest decline in overall freedom, largely due to the two coups experienced in 2022, according to a newly released annual report from the Freedom House organization in the United States. Tunisia, Guinea and Mali also registered some of the highest declines…
Laureen is the editor of Africa Times
Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo has smoothed over a rift with Burkina Faso after allegations that its northern neighbor is the latest African nation to enlist Wagner Group mercenaries to maintain security and counter its terrorism threats. A diplomatic mission led by national security minister Albert Kan-Dapaah met with Burkinabé leader…
Laureen is the editor of Africa Times
More than 600,000 people in Burkina Faso now face severe food insecurity, with nearly one in 10 people displaced by conflict and in urgent need of assistance. That’s according to a statement signed by 28 different nonprofit agencies, including Oxfam, the Danish Refugee Council, the International Rescue Committee and World…
Mauritania is facing its worst drought conditions since 2012, and faring more poorly than all Sahel nations that have seen rainfall deficits across the last decade, according to a new report from the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC). At least 34 of 48 regions are…
The long journey toward a verdict in the murder trial of Burkina Faso’s former president Blaise Compaoré has ended, with Compaoré sentenced in absentia to life in prison for his role in the 1987 death of beloved revolutionary leader Thomas Sankara. Sentenced by the Ouagadougou court along with Compaoré were…
Architect Diébédo Francis Kéré, a native of Burkina Faso, was awarded this years top prize in architecture for his climate-focused work, much of it in West Africa and in Kenya, Sudan and other parts of the continent. Kéré was named this year’s recipient of the Pritzker Architecture Prize for pioneering…
In Burkina Faso, President Roch Marc Christian Kaboré has apparently resigned following a military takeover in the troubled Sahel nation. That’s according to national broadcaster RTB, which posted a copy of Kaboré’s letter late Monday. Earlier in the day, members of the country’s defense forces said that Kaboré had been…
The Gambian ambassador to the United States, Dawda Docka Fadera, traveled to New York City to assist fire victims from his nation on Monday. He said the Gambian nation was in shock after hearing news of the fire, and that President Adama Barrow had asked him to convey his condolences….
In Togo, President Faure Gnassingbé said Monday that the country’s security remained a top priority, following last week’s attacks on an outpost near the northern border. His statement acknowledged the attack in Sanloaga, in the Kpendjal territory, on the night of November 9. Togolese security forces said the incident at…
Weapons from Serbia and other European nations are being used by extremists in the Sahel and supporting armed conflict, according to a new Amnesty International report. The global NGO said it reviewed more than 400 pieces of digital media from Burkina Faso and Mali, including verified photos and videos posted…
Authorities in Burkina Faso are monitoring a new case of suspected Ebola in West Africa. The country’s health ministry says a 22-year-old person is being treated at the Bogodogo University Hospital Center in Ouagadougou. They are isolated and receiving care while awaiting confirmation of any Ebola infection. The case points to the possibility…
All eyes have been on Afghanistan as the Taliban takes control, but the United Nations Security Council was focused Thursday on the threat of Islamic extremism on the African continent. UN counterterrorism chief Vladimir Voronkov, presenting his report on Islamic State and related groups to the council, called for a…
China has weighed in on a United Nations Human Rights Council resolution on racism and discrimination first introduced by African nations, but made no mention of the ongoing inquiries into its own treatment of Uyghur and other minorities. Zhao Lijian, spokesman for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said Wednesday…
The Sahel nation of Burkina Faso began a three-day period of mourning on Sunday following a savage armed attack on Solhan, a village in the northeast part of the country near the border with Niger. The attack began Friday night and continued into the early morning hours on Saturday, according…
Note: This article was updated on March 26, 2021 to include comments from Apollinaire Compaoré. Two troubling recent investigations from the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) have shone a fresh spotlight on the tobacco industry’s continued complicity in tobacco smuggling in Africa. The first highlighted how Philip Morris…