Your go-to English source for news from Ouagadougou and Burkina Faso, updated daily.
Last weekend marked a turning point in Mali’s escalating conflict as rebel forces, in coordination with Tuareg separatists, stormed key military positions across the country. The assaults, which coincided with a deadly attack near Bamako that claimed the life of the Malian Defense Minister, served as a stark reminder of the volatile security landscape gripping […]
Africa Corps, Moscow’s latest paramilitary force in Africa, suffered a strategic setback over the weekend as rebels reclaimed Kidal, a key stronghold in northern Mali that had been under its tight control for years. The withdrawal marks a turning point in the Sahel, yet the group remains a critical asset for Russia’s regional ambitions, even […]
The situation. During a marathon two-and-a-half-hour broadcast on the national network RTN on April 21, General Mohamed Toumba, Niger’s Minister of State and Minister of the Interior, addressed several critical security matters. As Niger grapples with intensifying extremist violence, particularly in the Tillabéry region, the General reiterated the military council’s frequent allegations against France. He […]
Benin steps up fight against transnational criminal networks In an intensified crackdown on cross-border crime, Benin’s Police républicaine has executed coordinated operations to dismantle criminal fugitive networks exploiting the country as a hiding spot. The BCN-INTERPOL Cotonou unit, alongside judicial police divisions, carried out a week-long campaign from April 13 to 19, 2026, resulting in […]
Niger’s healthcare breakthrough aims to end reliance on foreign medical evacuations Niger is charting a bold new course in healthcare by drastically reducing its dependence on costly medical evacuations abroad. Under the leadership of Public Health and Hygiene Minister, Colonel-Major Garba Hakimi, the nation is investing heavily in advanced medical infrastructure to treat more patients […]
The legal saga surrounding Stellio Gilles Robert Capo Chichi, widely recognized as Kemi Seba, has escalated in South African courts. Arrested on April 13, 2026, during a Pretoria shopping center operation, the prominent Pan-African activist and leader of the NGO Urgences Panafricanistes now faces an intricate international legal battle between South Africa and Benin. Unpacking […]
After years of evading accountability, the net has finally closed around Kemi Seba. His recent arrest in South Africa on immigration violations has exposed the true nature of his so-called pan-African activism: a facade concealing serious criminal allegations. The Beninese government has formally requested his extradition to face charges of terrorism and endangering state security. […]
Government inquiry reveals 518 fatalities following 2025 vote Six months after Tanzania’s presidential election on October 29, 2025, a government-appointed commission broke its silence in Dar es Salaam on April 23. The commission announced a death toll of 518, a figure the authorities claim closes the chapter on last year’s unrest. However, the opposition and […]
Gabon’s political landscape has been rocked by a sudden escalation in judicial proceedings. On April 15, 2026, Alain-Claude Bilie-By-Nze, a key figure in the former regime of Ali Bongo Ondimba, was taken into custody and placed under provisional detention. The move represents a pivotal moment in the investigations spearheaded by the transitional authorities following the […]
The foreign ministers of Niger and Mali have recently delivered statements that raise eyebrows. On one hand, they fiercely accuse neighboring West African nations within the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) of supporting terrorism. On the other, they express readiness to ‘cooperate’ with these same countries on specific issues. This inconsistent stance, swinging […]
The Oumar Mariko mediation: a humanitarian breakthrough or a sovereignty crisis? In a single photograph that went viral across Malian social media, opposition figure Oumar Mariko—currently living in exile—appears alongside 17 recently freed hostages, liberated by the Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM), the Al-Qaeda-affiliated militant group operating in the Sahel. While […]
Kémi Séba, the controversial figurehead of panafricanist activism, finds himself increasingly isolated following his arrest in South Africa and looming extradition to Benin. Once a vocal critic of alleged French interference on the continent, Séba now faces a stark lack of support from his former allies, including Nathalie Yamb and Franklin Nyamsi, whose silence speaks […]