Eye on Africa

Auxiliary worker Sophie Pétronin was released on Thursday, October 8th. An event that puts an end to almost four years of captivity. Sophie Petronin had already narrowly escaped the kidnapping of terrorists in 2012. Previously, the French woman had worked since 2001 in favor of orphaned and malnourished children in Gao. In 2012, she was able to leave the Algerian consulate, where she had sought refuge, at the last minute and be filtered out of the country in disguise before the jihadists took control of the area. The…

Prominent Malian politician Soumaila Cissé, who was kidnapped by unidentified gunmen in March, was released on Wednesday after Mali released over 100 alleged or convicted jihadists as part of negotiations to secure his release. Mali also released the prisoners in hopes of getting the release of abducted French aid worker Sophie Pétronin, who was kidnapped by the shooter in December 2016 in the northern city of Gao. "As part of the negotiations for the release of Soumaila Cisséand Sophie Pétronin, more than a hundred…

The Malian presidency on Thursday confirmed that French charity worker Sophie Pétronin, who was abducted in Mali and held hostage since December 2016, has been released. "The Presidency of the Republic confirms the release of Soumaïla Cissé and Mrs Sophie Pétronin. The former hostages are on their way to Bamako, "the Malian…

Two hostages, the French Sophie Pétronin and the Malian opposition leader Soumaïla Cissé, were released on Thursday, October 8, 2020. This release comes after the release of several dozen jihadists by the Malian authorities. The last French hostage still held in the world, Sophie Pétronin, as well as Soumaïla Cissé, a major Malian politician who until then is believed to be in the hands of jihadists, have been released, the Malian presidency announced on social networks on Thursday. The Presidency of the Republic…

Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian heard from the Foreign Affairs Committee of the National Assembly on Wednesday and reacted to Alassane Ouattara's candidacy before also giving his opinion on the situation in Cameroon. Communist Deputy Jean-Paul Lecoq first asked the Foreign Minister what France's position was on Alassane Ouattara's candidacy. Response from Jean-Yves Le Drian: “Me, I am not responsible for assessing the new constitution for Côte d'Ivoire. That would really be interference. And you know very well, Mr Lecoq,…

They were fired this Tuesday. Their arrest sparked an uprising last month in Khartoum because everyone had taken part in the revolution that brought down Omar al-Bashir's regime in 2018. Among them was young director Hajouj Kouka. It all started in a neighborhood dispute in the popular district of el-Zouhour in Khartoum-Nord in…

NAIROBI, Kenya - Two men were found guilty on Wednesday of aiding Al-Shabaab attackers during the siege of the Westgate shopping mall in 2013, seven years after undergoing a hectic trial, which becomes one of the first terror-related convictions in Kenya, which often has been targeted by Somalia-based militants. The 2013 attack was the first major attack on Kenyan soil since 1998, when the U.S. embassy in Nairobi was bombed by al-Qaeda, leaving more than 200 people dead. It was also the first major attack by…

Gatherings are scheduled this Thursday in several Algerian cities to condemn feminicides. No official figures exist, but the Facebook account Algeria Feminicides, which monitors this topic, has identified 38 since the beginning of this year. The murder of a young girl, Chaïma, revives mobilization. Chaïma was 19 and was found dead last week at a deserted gas station near Boumerdes east of Algiers. Local media claim she was raped, beaten and then burned to death. According to the prosecutor, a suspect confessed. He is…

This decision was taken in late September by the French Office for the Protection of Refugees and Stateless Persons, which regulates asylum applications in France, and was published on Tuesday. According to the President of Ofpra, it is motivated by "the situation of public and political freedoms in this country". The organization believes that Benin no longer meets the definition of these "safe…

MOGADISHU, Somalia - Individuals working with the Federal Government of Somalia must now submit their information to the National Intelligence Security Agency , a move that aims to streamline operations within the Horn of Africa, but which may provoke sharp political debate. Sadiq Warfa, Minister of Labor and Social Affairs, said all government departments have been affected by the directive, adding that those responsible should now work closely with NISA to ensure the data is collected within the shortest possible…