West Africa

A Nation in Mourning: Reflecting on the Legacy of Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings In a somber announcement that has reverberated across Ghana and beyond, President John Mahama has declared three days of national mourning following the death of former First Lady Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings. The flag will fly at half-mast on public buildings, diplomatic missions, and government facilities, marking a period of reflection for a beloved figure who significantly impacted Ghanaian society. A Legacy of Empowerment Known for her…

Turkey’s Residency Freeze Meets Somali Realities: What a Quiet Diplomatic Meeting Reveals In Ankara this week, a low-key meeting between Somali Ambassador Fathudiin Ali Mohamed Ospite and Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya put a human face on a policy that has reshaped daily life for foreigners across Turkey: the suspension of most new residency permits. The conversation was practical—how to help Somali citizens renew and obtain legal stay when the rules have tightened—but the implications are wider. As countries from…

Hope and Frustration: Youth Perspectives in Côte d'Ivoire's Presidential Elections As Côte d'Ivoire prepares to head to the polls on October 25 for a pivotal presidential election, a palpable wave of anticipation mingles with frustration among its most vital demographic: its youth. With around 75% of the country’s 38 million citizens under the age of 35, the stakes couldn’t be higher. Many of these young people find themselves grappling with limited job opportunities and a sense of disillusionment stemming from the current…

Somalia Mourns a Stalwart of the Bench: Abdullahi Dahir Bare, 1940–2024 In a city that has seen far too many funerals, Mogadishu paused on Wednesday night to honor a man who spent a lifetime in service to the law. The Office of the Attorney General confirmed the passing of Abdullahi Dahir Bare, a former attorney general and one of the country’s earliest judges. He was 84. In a statement, current Attorney General Sulayman Mohamed extended condolences to Bare’s family and to a public that knew him as a steady presence…

Analysis: In Ceerigaabo, a Local Truce Holds National Promise for North Western State of Somalia and Puntland State At first light in Ceerigaabo, the mountain air smells faintly of resin from the frankincense groves that have fed trade routes for centuries. Today, the conversation in this highland town in the Sanaag region is less about caravans and more about coexistence. Elders, clerics and businesspeople are trying to turn a fragile respite from clan tension into something sturdier—an agreement that could unlock security…

Struggle for Stability: The Ongoing Conflict in Nigeria's Borno State In the early hours of a recent morning, a deadly pre-dawn raid shook the northeastern Nigerian state of Borno, reminding the world of the ongoing turmoil that characterizes this region. Fighters affiliated with the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) launched an audacious assault on army positions in two strategically important towns, a move that highlights both the vulnerability of state forces and the ever-present threat posed by these militants.…

In Durban, Africa's public health debate turns from aid to agency Durban — Delegates in brightly patterned shirts and surgical scrubs threaded their way through the humid corridors of the conference centre here, trading phone numbers, business cards and the kind of blunt, practical advice that follows crises. This was not a glossy health summit but a working room: ministers, nurses, start‑up founders, community health workers and WHO officials convened for the 4th International Conference on Public Health in Africa (CPHIA)…

Opinion | Somalia’s Next Leap Won’t Come From Another Election On a dusty midmorning in Mogadishu, as tuk-tuks weave past concrete blast walls and hopeful new cafes, I asked a lawyer what he most wanted from the state. He didn’t say elections. He said a judge he could trust. That answer hangs over Somalia’s future. For more than three decades, the country has circled the same roundabout: hurry toward a vote, argue over the rules, postpone, compromise, vote, then start over. Each cycle spotlights familiar headlines about…

Somalia: Three brothers killed on family farm in suspected clan-reprisal attack in Lower Shabelle At least three brothers were shot dead while working their fields in Somalia’s Lower Shabelle region on Wednesday, in what local residents described as a clan-reprisal attack. The killings took place in Dudumaaye, an area under the Wanlaweyn district, about two hours by road from Mogadishu. Residents reached by phone said the men were tending their farm when gunmen believed to be from a rival militia opened fire. The victims…

Somalia says overnight raid kills seven Al‑Shabaab fighters as counterinsurgency grinds on in Hiiraan Somalia’s intelligence service says its agents, working with international partners, killed seven Al‑Shabaab fighters in a three‑phase raid overnight in the country’s central Hiiraan region, a patch of territory that has swung back and forth between government forces and the al‑Qaida‑linked group over the past two years. In a statement released Tuesday, the National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA) said the…