West Africa

Mali's interim president, Bah Ndaw, elected to lead a transitional government after last month's coup, was sworn in during ceremonies in the capital Bamako on Friday, AFP reporters witnessed. A committee appointed by the military junta that seized power on August 18 and overthrew President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita elected Ndaw, a 70-year-old retired colonel, as interim president. The Ndaw must lead a transitional government for a maximum of 18 months before organizing national elections. In a speech, Ndaw said he…

Ivory Coast Constitutional Court ruled last week that only four out of 44 presidential hopefuls would be allowed to run in the country's presidential election. Because they face criminal convictions, former President Laurent Gbagbo and former rebel leader Guillaume Soro, both giants of Ivorian politics, were among those prevented from running. Most of the others whose candidates were deemed invalid had failed to garner sufficient public support - a new electoral reform required candidates to request signatures from at…

Ivory Coast's head of state, Alassane Ouattara, has blown up two rivals' attempt to challenge next month's presidential election as "provocation", saying one of them is behind bars. In an interview published Thursday by the French magazine Paris Match, the 78-year-old sitting fired a verbal breadth against former President Laurent Gbagbo and former rebel leader Guillaume Soro. Both men live outside the country, but retain strong support at home, in a country still scarred by a post-election conflict that claimed more…

Bah Ndaw, a retired colonel who has been appointed Mali's interim president after last month's coup, made his first public appearance on Thursday and met with a regional mediator, AFP reporters said. Ndaw, 70, met former Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan in Bamako on a mission for the 15-nation bloc ECOWAS on the eve of his inauguration. Ndaw's appointment was announced Monday by Colonel Assimi Goita, who is leading a junta of young military officers who seized power on August 18, removing President-elect Ibrahim…

Former Malidefence minister and retired Colonel Bah Ndaw was appointed interim president on Monday, while the leader of the junta who seized power last month was appointed vice president, state television announced. Mali's ruling junta has come under heavy pressure from leaders of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to bring power back to civilians after the August 18 coup that toppled President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita. It was unclear whether the arrangement would satisfy ECOWAS, which last week…

More than 4,000 people are being forced to flee their homes every day in Burkina Faso amid growing terrorist attacks by terrorist groups, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees said on Friday. "In Burkina Faso, recent attacks by militants on civilians and local authorities have forced a daily average of more than 4,000 people to flee their homes and search for security since January 1," the UNHCR said in a statement. So far, 765,000 people have already been displaced, it added. "People…

Exiled Gambian president, Yahya Jammeh, his family and close allies have formally been invited by a Commission of Inquiry looking into his assets. President Adama Barrow in July 2017 inaugurated the 3-member Janneh commission of inquiry to look into the assets of Jammeh. Barrow said at the time that the move was “another step in our change agenda for good governance.” It is not known to who in particular Jammeh’s invitation was addressed because he is currently resident outside the country. According to the local…