Burkina Faso Military Rulers Scrap Electoral Commission, Taking Control of Future Polls
Burkina Faso’s military rulers have disbanded the country’s electoral commission calling it a waste of money. The interior ministry will handle elections in the future, state-run RTB TV reported. Since seizing power in September 2022, the coup leaders have initiated sweeping reforms, including the postponement of elections which would lead to a return to civilian […]
Regional Alert: WADEMOS Calls On Pro-democracy Actors to Take Urgent Actions to Counter Growing Threats to Democracy
The West Africa Democracy Solidarity Network calls on democracy actors in West Africa to prioritize the growing threats to democracy, peace, and security in the subregion. The Network, which is made up of CSOs from all 15 countries in the ECOWAS sub-region, expresses serious concerns about recent alarming incidents that have the potential to compound […]
ECOWAS Leaders Meet in Abuja Amid Regional Tensions and Leadership Transition
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) convened on Sunday, June 22, 2025, in Nigeria’s capital, Abuja. Regional heads of state gathered to evaluate the bloc’s current state, which continues to grapple with internal instability following a wave of military coups in several member countries. ECOWAS Commission President Omar Alieu Touray is scheduled to […]
Terrorism: Tinubu Calls for Activation of ECOWAS Standby Force
President Bola Tinubu has urged his West African colleagues on the need to urgently activate the ECOWAS Standby Force to deal with terrorism in the sub-region. The Nigerian leader expressed concern over the slow pace of its operation, stressing the need to move from concept to reality in the collective fight against terrorism. Tinubu raised […]
Sierra Leone’s Bio Takes Over as ECOWAS Chair Amid Rising Instability
New ECOWAS chair Julius Maada Bio inherits a bloc grappling with jihadist violence, military coups and a shrinking circle of allies. West African leaders gathered in Nigeria’s capital on Sunday for a summit dominated by warnings of deepening insecurity and political instability, as Sierra Leone’s President Julius Maada Bio took over the rotating leadership of the […]
What is Behind the Wave of Killings in Central Nigeria?
Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu has ordered security agencies to bring an end to a wave of killings in the central Benue state. It is believed that more than 200 people have died in a series of attacks across various communities in the last few days alone. Tinubu described the killings as “inhuman and anti-progress”. He […]
Tuaregs in Mali and Burkina File ICC Complaint Against Armies, Russian Allies
Tuareg associations in Mali and Burkina Faso have filed a complaint with the International Criminal Court against their nations’ armies and the Russian paramilitary group, Africa Corps. Several Tuareg community organisations filed a complaint with the office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague on Sunday, according to RFI’s correspondent. The […]
Côte D’Ivoire’s Ouattara Poised for Fourth Term Bid as Opposition Pushes Back
Côte d’Ivoire is preparing for a contentious presidential election in October as President Alassane Ouattara’s supporters rally for his likely re-election bid. Meanwhile, opposition groups are demanding a fairer contest and the reinstatement of barred candidates. The political temperature is rising in Côte d’Ivoire as President Ouattara’s ruling party prepares to confirm his likely bid […]
Niger Targets Jihadist Financing, Kills 13 in Illegal Gold Mine Raids
Niger’s army has raided jihadist-controlled informal mining sites in the country’s west, killing more than a dozen insurgents and seizing material linked to the manufacture of improvised explosive devices, it said. An army statement said the raids took place last week in the Tagueye locality, near Niger’s western border with Burkina Faso. It said 13 […]
Togo Suspends RFI and France 24 for Three Months, Communications Authority Says
Togo has suspended broadcasts of French state-funded international news outlets RFI and France 24 for three months, its communications authority said on Monday, accusing them of a lack of impartiality and rigour. The suspension comes as tensions are rising between the West African country’s leader Faure Gnassingbe and the opposition. Gnassingbe received in May a powerful new […]