Wadagni’s Kigali visit sparks debate on Benin-Rwanda axis future
The 48-hour working visit by Benin’s president Romuald Wadagni to Kigali, his first official trip to Rwanda since taking office in May, has ignited a wave of reactions across diplomatic and economic circles. The high-stakes meeting with President Paul Kagame is being widely interpreted as a signal that Cotonou intends to lock in and deepen […]
Read More
Fallout in Niger: rising backlash and what comes next after Tiani’s ministerial purge
Niger’s failed coup attempt has left a trail of consequences that keeps widening. Barely days after a harsh shake-up at the top of the military command, General Abdourahamane Tiani dismissed four key ministers by decree, and the reaction across the country has been swift, uneasy and far from unanimous. Ever since the abortive power grab […]
Read More
After the mausoleum: Burkina Faso’s Sankara debate and the question of who owns his memory
The inauguration of the Thomas Sankara mausoleum in Ouagadougou on 17 May 2025 has reignited a national debate about the ownership of the former president’s legacy. Under the patronage of Captain Ibrahim Traoré, the ceremony was led by Prime Minister Rimtalba Jean Emmanuel Ouédraogo at the site of the former Conseil de l’Entente. The presence […]
Read More
Niger reshuffle fallout: what next for Tiani’s loyalty-first government?
The decree signed on September 15, 2026, by General Abdourahamane Tiani is fooling no one. Dressed up half-heartedly as a routine “technical reorganization,” this first major cabinet reshuffle is, above all, a political rescue operation. Exposed on every front, the National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland (CNSP) is primarily trying to close ranks, […]
Read More
Gabon’s public debt drops below 70% of GDP after audit
Gabon now has a clearer picture of its public debt. Following an audit initiated by the state and finalized as of December 31, 2025, the consolidated stock was set at 9,524.643 billion CFA francs, down from nearly 11,700 billion at the start of the process. The debt ratio now stands at 68.91% of gross domestic […]
Read More
Defections, shortages and Russian fire: inside the cracks in Niger’s army
More than eighteen months have passed since the 26 July 2023 coup that placed General Abdourahamane Tiani at the head of Niger, and the patriotic façade erected by the National Council for the Safeguarding of the Homeland (CNSP) is cracking in spectacular fashion. Behind the sovereignty rhetoric and the military parades lies a far grimmer […]
Read More
Benin schools reopen nationwide on 14 september 2026
A nationwide return to classrooms on 14 september Across Benin, the 2026 school year began in earnest on Monday 14 september, as pupils and teachers filled schools from the far north to the coastal south. Primary schools and secondary institutions alike reopened their gates, gradually settling back into the rhythm of lessons, timetables and daily […]
Read More
Benin’s school canteens now feed 1.9 million children every school day
School feeding in Benin has moved onto a different scale. When classes resume for the 2026-2027 year, close to 1.9 million pupils will sit down to a hot meal on every day of teaching, compared with 1.4 million twelve months earlier. That is roughly half a million extra children brought into the scheme in a […]
Read More
Sifi Grine in Bamako: Mali’s junta bows to Algiers after months of defiance
Bamako put on its full ceremonial face on Monday. Inside the salons of the Koulouba palace, Algeria’s prime minister, Sifi Grine, appeared side by side with the man who holds Mali’s levers of power, army corps general Assimi Goïta. The choreography was meant to look historic and soothing: two Saharan neighbours mending a broken bond. […]
Read More
Martinez Zogo case in Cameroon: key investigator’s hearing concludes
Martinez Zogo case in Cameroon: key investigator’s hearing concludes By Richard Onanena Tue 15 September 2026 at 3:26 PM UTC Add Yahoo as a preferred source to see our articles on Google. With our correspondent in Yaoundé, Richard Onanena Colonel Jean-Pierre Otoulou took the stand to defend his investigation. He claimed to possess evidence, notably […]
Read More
Burkina Faso: the true price of sovereignty on credit
Since Captain Ibrahim Traoré took power, an official narrative has steadily taken hold: that of a Burkina Faso which has reclaimed command of its own destiny, trimmed its reliance on foreign partners and resolved to bankroll its war against armed groups from its own pocket. As political messaging, it works. Rearmament is cast as sovereignty […]
Read More
Niger’s 334 billion CFA franc tax gap: the state’s surrender to corporate giants
In Niger, the tax office has a well-documented habit: it pursues the small trader with tireless energy, then freezes the moment it faces the real heavyweights of the economy. A stock of unpaid taxes estimated at 334 billion CFA francs, jointly documented by the United Nations economic commission for Africa and the country’s ministry of […]
Read More