West Africa

For almost a week, the people of the village of Farabougou, in central Mali, have been living through a blockade imposed by the jihadists. No one enters or leaves the village. This blockade is combined with a jihadist attack that left at least six dead and 22 wounded, while nine other people are still in the hands of the same jihadists, according to residents. as reported from Bamako, It all started last week with the kidnapping attributed to the jihadists from about twenty civilians from the Malian locality…

Last week, several Malian and international hostages were released in exchange for the release of several hundred prisoners. Among them are fighters involved in deadly attacks on the Malian army and two personalities considered leaders of the GSIM affiliated with al-Qaeda in the Sahel. For these releases, the discussions were bitter about certain names like Fawaz Ould Ahmed. Before he was arrested in 2016, this Mauretanian did a lot. Director of the al-Mourabitoune group, affiliated with Aqmi and founded by Mokhtar…

The release of the French hostage, Sophie Pétronin, put the spotlight on Westerners still being held in the Sahel. But next to them, there are also an unknown number of Malian and Sahelin hostages. Hostage participation of premises that are much less mentioned. This week, twenty people were kidnapped in the municipality of Farabougou, in the middle of the country. Nine of them were still selected this Sunday. These hostages, targeting anonymous Malians, are less talked about than Westerners or leading personalities such…

After moments of joy and effusion, following the release late last week in Mali of the three Western hostages and opposition leader Soumaïla Cissé, the continent's press is focusing on the underside of transactions on Monday. How many jihadists have been freed in exchange for hostages? Impossible to have an exact number. We're talking about 200 warriors. What is certain is that some of them met last Friday to celebrate their release. "The elements of GSIM, the support group for Islam and Muslims, wereted no time in…

The coronavirus pandemic is in sharp decline. Almost all positive cases are cured. Last week, only 3 cases were admitted to the hospital. However, the country that has recorded a total of 54 deaths linked to Covid-19 has not delimited all sectors. This is the case with churches, bars and motels. This brings a sense of injustice to the operators in these sectors who are angry today. as reported from Libreville, After waiting more than 6 months, the Christian churches almost revolted against the state. On September 27,…

At least five Western hostages are still being held captive in the Sahel. Among them the Colombian Gloria Cecilia Argoti, with whom Sophie Pétronin spent most of her captivity, or the Australian Arthur Kenneth Elliot. Back in France, the former French hostage was able to provide news about the health of some other hostages.…

Ghanaian head of state Nana Akufo-Addo, current president of the West African states (ECOWAS), declared on Sunday (October 11th) during her visit to Bamako that she had "good hope" that the Malian transitional authorities would respect their obligations. "At the moment, all the actions taken by the transitional authorities give…

Guinean President Alpha Condé, a candidate for re-election, embarked on a surprise tour of the interior of the country on Sunday, October 11, while the procession of opposition leader Cellou Dalein Diallo, who was due to hold a meeting in Kankan, was blocked. , on the basis of violence. The election campaign is accelerating in…

In Nigeria, after a week of protests in the country, the presidency approved the dissolution of the Flight Repression Squad (SARS), which was accused of serious human rights violations. as reported from Lagos, Liza FabbianIt only took a few hours last weekend for the Nigerian youth to mobilize massively. First on social…

The strong attention paid to pangolin due to the Covid-19 pandemic has raised awareness at the international level of the need to protect this endangered species. In Nigeria, the main global crossroads for animal trafficking, despite cultural opposition, pangolin defenders feel empowered and more easily advocate its exploitation. The University of Ibadan campus is…