West Africa

The government of Burkina Faso is sharpening its focus on a nationalistic approach to news and information dissemination, as noted by the Reporters Without Borders (RSF). Recently, the Superior Council for Communication (CSC), which oversees media regulations in Burkina Faso, imposed a ban on the rebroadcast of foreign radio programs effective immediately. This decision follows a three-month suspension of the Voice of America (VOA) broadcasts in the country. This move highlights a growing trend in which the government seeks…

Mogadishu (AX) — Somalia has decided to bid farewell to single-use plastic bags, aiming to cut down on pollution and join hands with international environmental crusades. "Plastic bags are no longer welcome here. Anyone caught in the act—using or selling—will be met with the full force of the law," declared the Police Spokesman Abdifitah Adan Hassan. The announcement of this ban in February 2024 marks a turning point. It outlaws the import, creation, sale, and use of these pesky plastics. While fines are still a bit…

A recent diplomatic spat has nudged Somalia towards cosier relations with Egypt and Eritrea, each entangled in longstanding grumbles with Ethiopia. Folks are jittery that rising tensions could tip the scale into outright conflict. “This is a coalition against Addis Ababa," dished out Hassan Khannenje, who steers the Horn International Institute for Strategic Studies, during a chinwag on the BBC's Focus on Africa. "Seems like they're bundling grievances to crank up the heat on Addis Ababa." A snapshot beamed by Eritrea…

 Simon Manley, the UK's envoy, and Somalia's Ambassador Khadra Ahmed Dualeh engage in a lively discourse at a Geneva gathering of the United Nations Human Rights Council.Mogadishu (AX) — A collaborative proposition has been tabled by the United Kingdom and Somalia during Thursday's United Nations Human Rights Council meet. Their joint initiative seeks to extend technical support for advancing Somalia’s human rights endeavors and to renew the role of the Independent Expert on Somalia.Simon Manley, representing the UK at the…

On October 10, 2024, Presidents Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi of Egypt, Isaias Afwerki of Eritrea, and Hassan Sheikh Mohamud of Somalia, gathered in Eritrea’s capital for what turned out to be a remarkable powwow. This exclusive Tripartite Summit, held on a Thursday, aimed to bolster relationships and tackle the hair-raising regional security issues that shadow their nations. The host, President Afwerki, ushered in a fresh chapter of camaraderie between these countries. The Egyptian entourage, led by Abbas Kamel, the mastermind of…

On September 27, tragic news emerged from Kaduna State, Nigeria, where a military airstrike aimed at combating notorious criminal gangs, widely referred to as bandits, resulted in multiple fatalities and numerous injuries among innocent civilians. This grim incident has been reported by various media outlets, with Human Rights Watch highlighting the humanitarian crisis unfolding. Calls for accountability, unwavering justice, and increased transparency have echoed through the community, yet the echoes seem to fall on deaf…

Footage from surveillance cameras capturing a tragic collision that resulted in the deaths of five friends in June 2023 was highlighted as Derrick Thompson faced his federal trial.Tears rolled down, and comforting embraces were shared among family members as they watched the haunting footage in federal court. It was a heart-wrenching scene involving the tragic fates of five young Somali American women.During the trial’s opening moments, the grim video of the incident—where Thompson, the driver, struck the women's car—played.…

Convicted of a heinous crime, Mohamedamin Abdirisek Ibrahim stands accused of taking the life of his girlfriend, Saga Forsgren Elneborg, who was seven months pregnant in Örebro, Sweden. CREDIT: POLICE STOCKHOLM, Sweden (AX): A Swedish appeals court has maintained the life sentence of Mohamedamin Abdirisek Ibrahim, a 22-year-old man previously found guilty of murdering his expectant girlfriend, Saga Forsgren Elneborg, in Örebro in April 2023. Ibrahim had contested the ruling, but the appeals court affirmed that the evidence…

Mogadishu (AX) — Kenya Airways is poised to hit the brakes on all its flights ferrying passengers to Mogadishu, Somalia, starting on October 14, 2024. The decision, attributed to some gnarly operational hiccups, was splashed across a letter by the airline’s honcho, Allan Kilavuka. This communiqué, dated October 9, 2024, was penned to Mohamed Daghar, the Principal Secretary in Kenya’s Ministry of Roads and Transport."We've run into some operational snags," explained Kilavuka in the letter, "so we've chosen to halt our…

Mogadishu (AX) — The Egyptian leader, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, is gearing up for a visit to Asmara, Eritrea, come Thursday, where he's scheduled for a three-party pow-wow with Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki and Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud. This top-tier sit-down aims to bolster security partnerships and tackle mutual hurdles in the Horn of Africa and the bustling Red Sea zone. A big-ticket item on the agenda is the creation of a tri-nation coalition to navigate common challenges, with a spotlight on Ethiopia's…