Chad holds divisive post-coup constitutional referendum
N’Djamena, Chad Reuters Chad holds a referendum on a new constitution on Sunday that looks unlikely to mend deep divisions between the junta and opposing groups that have fuelled a political and security crisis in one of the world’s poorest countries. The military authorities have called the vote as a vital stepping-stone to elections next […]
Essay: What caused the coup in Niger? An expert outlines three driving factors
In an article first published on The Conversation, OLAYINKA AJALA says Niger’s coup will have a significant impact on the entire Sahel region…
Niger loses aid as Western countries condemn coup
Niamey, Niger Reuters The European Union and France have cut off financial support to Niger and the United States has threatened to do the same, after military leaders this week announced they had overthrown democratically elected President Mohamed Bazoum. Niger is one of the poorest countries in the world, receiving close to $US2 billion a […]
Essay: Fifty years after the Uruguay coup, why so few people have been brought to justice for dictatorship crimes
Latin American scholar FRANCESCA LESSA, in an article first published on The Conversation, says that despite very limited justice for dictatorship-era atrocities in Uruguay, hope may be on the horizon…
Bolsonaro aide sought legal advice for Brazil coup – police report
Brasilia, BrazilReuters One of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro’s closest aides sought legal advice for a military intervention that would have prevented the handover of power following last October’s election, federal police said on Friday. Lieutenant Colonel Mauro Cid was one of Bolsonaro’s personal assistants who stayed on as an aide after he stepped down. […]
New Peru president sworn in after predecessor Castillo ousted
Lima, PeruReuters Peru’s Congress swore in a new president on Wednesday in a day of sweeping political drama that saw the former leader, Pedro Castillo, ousted in an impeachment trial hours after he attempted a last-ditch bid to stay in power by trying to dissolve Congress. Ignoring Castillo’s attempt to shut down the legislature by […]
As soldiers mutiny in Burkina Faso, government dismisses talk of coup
Ouagadougou, Burkina FasoReuters Sustained gunfire rang out from military camps in Burkina Faso on Sunday as mutinying soldiers demanded more support for their fight against Islamist militants and protesters ransacked the headquarters of President Roch Kabore’s political party. The government called for calm, denying speculation on social media that the army had seized power or […]
Hope for path out of Sudan’s crisis in days, UN envoy says
United NationsReuters Mediators hope the “contours” of a way out of the crisis in Sudan could emerge in the coming days, the UN special envoy said on Monday. General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan toppled Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok’s cabinet a week ago and arrested key politicians. Hamdok remains under house arrest in his residence, Volker Perthes […]
After 34 years, Sankara murder trial begins in Burkina Faso
Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso Reuters The trial of 14 people accused of plotting the assassination of Burkina Faso’s former President Thomas Sankara started on Monday, 34 years after he was gunned down in one of the most infamous killings in modern African history. Sankara – a charismatic Marxist revolutionary widely known as “Africa’s Che Guevara” – […]
“Unattainable power”: the frustrations that drove Guinea’s coup leader
Dakar, SenegalReuters In 2016, Mamady Doumbouya, a commander in the Guinean army, asked his superiors if he could have ammunition to train his troops in marksmanship. He never received it, he said, because they feared he would use the rounds to launch a coup. Five years on, Doumbouya did just that. Prime Minister of Guinea […]