Burkina Faso’s shifting security narrative: how today’s army falls short despite Moscow’s training
The general manager of Burkina Faso’s national broadcaster, RTB, may have expected a routine appearance when General Célestin Simporé, the defense minister, took the stage. Instead, what unfolded was anything but predictable. Behind the carefully rehearsed praise for the current junta’s security record, Simporé’s admission that Burkina Faso’s army was historically ‘poorly trained’ did more […]
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Gabon uncovers systemic payroll fraud: 1,473 ghost workers removed, saving 11 billion FCFA annually
Inside Gabon’s hidden payroll scandal: how absenteeism drained public coffers Gabon’s transitional government has taken a decisive step to expose a long-standing administrative loophole that allowed public funds to vanish into thin air. A sweeping biometric and financial audit revealed that over 1,400 state employees—many of whom had not set foot in an office for […]
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Burkina Faso’s 80% NGO funding rule: behind the scenes of a debated policy shift
The Burkinabè government has framed its new NGO regulations as a bold move toward transparency and operational efficiency. Enacted on September 24, 2026, under Captain Ibrahim Traoré’s leadership, the policy mandates that non-governmental organizations must allocate at least 80% of their funding to direct field-based expenditures. At first glance, the directive appears straightforward: curbing administrative […]
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Behind Benin’s startup funding surge: the regulatory and structural shifts driving Africa’s investment shift
The African startup ecosystem is experiencing an unprecedented tectonic shift, one that is redefining the continent’s investment landscape. For years, venture capital and early-stage funding remained concentrated in the hands of northern Africa’s heavyweights and West Africa’s anglophone hubs. Yet today, a small francophone nation is rewriting the rules of the game. Benin has quietly […]
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Gabon’s un gambit: inside the strategy behind Libreville’s first vice-presidency
When Gabon was elected vice-president of the 81st United Nations General Assembly back in June, the decision drew little fanfare outside diplomatic circles. Yet the session that opened on 22 September in New York has turned that quiet elevation into something more consequential: a seat at the Bureau of the world body’s principal deliberative organ […]
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Mali’s fuel blockade fuels Djenné’s collapse: the hidden logistics war in central Africa
Inside the fall of Djenné: how a single strategic post collapsed under fuel scarcity The heart of central Mali has once again become a battleground. On the afternoon of September 24th, insurgents from the Jama’at Nusrat al-Muslimin (JNIM)—an Al-Qaeda-affiliated group—launched a devastating assault on the crucial crossroads of Djenné along the RN6 highway, severing the […]
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Behind Benin’s judicial decision: why candide azannaï remains detained amid coup plot inquiry
The Bénin judiciary has once again demonstrated its commitment to upholding the rule of law in one of the country’s most high-profile cases. In a decision that has reverberated through the political and legal landscape, the Appeals Chamber upheld the pretrial detention of Candide Azannaï, former minister and leader of the Restaurer l’Espoir party, as […]
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Benin’s top court closes door on Houndégnon’s last appeal: what this means for the high-profile trial ahead
Behind the bench: how Benin’s Supreme Court sealed the fate of a controversial case In a decisive move that has sent ripples through Benin’s political and legal circles, the country’s Supreme Court has delivered a procedural knockout punch. On September 24, 2026, the court definitively dismissed the final appeal filed by the legal team of […]
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Why Benin’s diplomatic push in New York hinges on good neighborliness
Why Benin’s diplomatic push in New York hinges on good neighborliness On the sidelines of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly, Benin chaired the 1369th meeting of the African Union’s Peace and Security Council (PSC) on Wednesday, September 23, 2026, in New York, held at the ministerial level. The session, led by […]
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Senegal’s leadership split: why Diomaye Faye keeps the dissolution card within reach
Senegal Senegal’s leadership split: why Diomaye Faye keeps the dissolution card within reach Behind Bassirou Diomaye Faye’s carefully worded refusal to rule out dissolving the National Assembly lies a deeper story: a fractured alliance with Ousmane Sonko, a parliament now led by his former ally, and a president weighing institutional leverage against political timing. Key […]
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Inside Cameroon’s youth social media debate: the driving forces behind a digital reckoning
SocietyCameroon #PSE: young people debate social media in Cameroon SocietyCameroon Kyrielle Ayombi | Elisabeth Asen 24/09/202624 September 2026 In this edition of #PasSansElles, young people speak out to share their experiences, concerns and perspectives on the impact of social media in their lives. https://p.dw.com/p/5MgmF They inform, entertain and connect… but they can also manipulate, divide […]
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The Tiani-Kemi Seba paradox: how Niger’s dual stance strains relations with Benin
The Hidden Divide in Niamey’s Policy Under the Kemi Seba Debacle The paradox at the heart of Niger’s government has deepened: while it strips several citizens of their nationality citing national security, it simultaneously shields a Beninese activist—Kemi Seba—from extradition by offering him diplomatic immunity. This dual stance is now complicating the fragile rapprochement between […]
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