Essay: West Africa’s coast was a haven for piracy and illegal fishing – how technology is changing the picture
IFESINACHI OKAFOR-YARWOOD, in an article first published on The Conversation, looks at the progress being made in addressing security threats off West Africa’s coast…
Senegal panel suggests delayed polls be held in June to end crisis
Dakar, Senegal Reuters Senegal’s national dialogue commission will propose a delayed presidential election be held on 2nd June and recommend President Macky Sall remain in office until his successor is sworn in, commission member Ndiawar Paye said on Tuesday. The West African nation, set to become an oil and gas producer by the end of […]
West African bloc lifts sanctions on junta-led Niger
Abuja, Nigeria Reuters The West African regional bloc said on the weekend it would lift strict sanctions on Niger as it seeks a new strategy to dissuade three junta-led states from withdrawing from the political and economic union – a move that threatens regional integration. Leaders of the Economic Community of West African States met […]
Three Senegal opposition lawmakers arrested after disputed vote delay
Dakar, Senegal Reuters Three Senegalese opposition lawmakers were arrested on Tuesday amid the fallout from parliament’s move to delay a presidential vote by 10 months that prompted West Africa’s economic and political bloc to call for the re-establishment of the electoral calendar. Lawmakers late on Monday approved a last-minute amendment to hold the vote on […]
Senegalese lawmakers vote to postpone presidential election to 15th December
Dakar, Senegal Reuters Senegal’s parliament on Monday voted to hold a postponed presidential election on 15th December in the face of public outcry that led some opposition lawmakers to blockade proceedings until security forces intervened. The move follows President Macky Sall’s unprecedented announcement of a postponement on Saturday that pitched the West African nation into […]
Migrant arrivals to Spain’s Canaries jump by over 1,000 per cent in January
Madrid, Spain Reuters The number of migrants from West Africa who braved the sea in fragile boats to reach Spain’s Canary Islands jumped more than 1,000 per cent in January from a year ago, data released by the country’s interior ministry on Thursday showed. A group of migrants wait to disembark from a wooden boat […]
Three West African junta-led states quit ECOWAS regional block
Niamey, Niger/Bamako, Mali Reuters Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso, three West African states led by the military, said on Sunday they are immediately leaving the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), a regional economic bloc that has been urging them to return to democratic rule. The decision by the three, announced in a simultaneous […]
Nearly 50 million facing hunger in West, Central Africa as conflict spreads
Dakar, SenegalReuters A record 49.5 million people are expected to go hungry in West and Central Africa next year due to a combination of conflict, climate change and high food prices, the United Nations said on Tuesday. The figure is four per cent higher than in 2023. In coastal countries, the number of people facing […]
Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso sign Sahel security pact
Bamako, Mali Reuters Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso, three West African Sahel nations ruled by military juntas, signed a security pact on Saturday promising to come to the aid of each other in case of any rebellion or external aggression. The three countries are struggling to contain Islamic insurgents linked to al-Qaeda and Islamic State […]
West Africa’s ECOWAS rejects Niger junta’s proposed three-year delay for elections
Abuja, NigeriaReuters West Africa’s main regional bloc, ECOWAS, has rejected a proposal by Niger’s military junta to hold elections within three years, extending a political impasse that could trigger a military intervention if no agreement is reached following a July coup. ECOWAS and other international powers have been seeking diplomatic solutions to the 26th July […]