The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has declared a state of emergency across the region following escalating political instability and security threats in member states. The announcement was made on Tuesday by ECOWAS Commission President Omar Touray during the 55th Session of the Mediation and Security Council at the ministerial level in Abuja. …
No fewer than 11 Nigerian soldiers are in detention in Burkina Faso after their military aircraft allegedly entered restricted airspace and made an emergency landing in Bobo-Dioulasso. Reports say the soldiers travelled in a Nigerian Air Force C-130 aircraft. Burkina Faso’s military said the aircraft entered “AES airspace” without approval. Authorities forced the plane to …
President Bola Tinubu has praised the Nigerian military for its swift intervention in the Benin Republic following an early-morning coup attempt that briefly disrupted the French-speaking West African country’s 35-year democratic rule. A statement issued yesterday by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, said Nigeria acted on two separate emergency …
The African Union Commission (AUC) has strongly condemned the attempted military coup in the Republic of Benin on Sunday, describing it as a serious violation of the organisation’s principles. In a statement issued on December 7, the AUC Chairperson, Mahmoud Ali Yousouf, said the Union rejects any form of military involvement in political processes, stressing …
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has strongly condemned the attempted military coup in the Benin Republic, describing it as a “subversion of the will of the people of Benin.” In a statement released on Sunday by the ECOWAS Commission, the regional group commended the West African nation’s army for responding swiftly and …
The government of the Federal Republic of Benin said on Sunday that the attempted coup by a group of soldiers had been thwarted. A group of soldiers, led by Lt-Col Pascal Tigri, had appeared on state television and announced that they had removed President Patrice Talon from office and suspended the constitution. The country’s interior …
Somalia, one of the world’s poorest nations, faces a deepening health care crisis after the Trump administration suspended U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) support earlier this year. The loss of funding has hit communities already struggling with conflict, poverty, and fragile public services. Doctors Without Borders (DWB) warned in August that widening funding gaps …
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has suspended Guinea-Bissau from all its decision-making organs following a military takeover in the country. The suspension was announced after an emergency virtual meeting of the ECOWAS Mediation and Security Council (MSC) on Thursday, chaired by Sierra Leone President Julius Maada Bio, who also leads the Authority …
Guinea-Bissau slipped into yet another political crisis on Wednesday after military officers declared they had taken “total control” of the country, detaining the president and suspending all electoral activities just three days after the nation held legislative and presidential elections. Tension exploded in the capital, Bissau, earlier in the day when heavy gunfire erupted near …
Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan is facing heightened international scrutiny as a coalition of regional and global civil society organisations has petitioned the International Criminal Court (ICC) to investigate alleged crimes against humanity linked to the country’s disputed October 29 presidential election. The 82-page petition, submitted by groups including the Madrid Bar Association and the …
