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 …
African women still fighting violence 30 years after the Beijing Declaration The United Nations has raised the alarm about a new wave of violence against women and girls carried out online, warning that the digital world must not become another arena of abuse. The UN Secretary-General António Guterres stated this in a statement on …
The two frontline candidates in Guinea-Bissau’s presidential poll, incumbent Umaro Sissoco Embaló and opposition contender Fernando Dias, have each declared victory ahead of the official announcement of results. Both campaigns said on Monday that their candidate had crossed the 50 per cent mark required to win outright and avoid a second round. Dias told supporters …
Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have declared a unilateral three-month humanitarian truce, signalling a temporary halt in fighting even as the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) maintained their rejection of a recent ceasefire proposal. RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, also known as Hemedti, announced the pause in a recorded address on Monday. There was no immediate …
A long-dormant volcano in Ethiopia’s Afar region erupted on Sunday, sending massive ash plumes into the sky and spreading dust across nearby communities. The Hayli Gubbi volcano, believed to have been inactive for nearly 12,000 years, spewed ash up to 14 kilometres high. The plume drifted across the Red Sea toward Yemen and Oman, according …
Tanzania has cancelled its Independence Day celebrations scheduled for December 9 following mounting calls for nationwide protests over mass killings linked to last month’s disputed general elections. Prime Minister Mwigulu Nchemba announced the decision on Monday, saying funds earmarked for the national event would be redirected to repairing infrastructure damaged during the post-election unrest. The …
