Author: Aïcha Abdou

Bamako — A decisive shift is underway in how Mali’s conflict is being scrutinized. Amnesty International’s latest investigation, released on 28 September 2026, marks a turning point by directly accusing members of the Malian Armed Forces (FAMa), operating alongside foreign fighters from the Wagner group, of committing war crimes against civilians between 2023 and 2025. The report’s findings have injected new momentum into a long-stalled debate over impunity. Momentum builds behind a landmark investigation Titled “No one is spared,” the report draws on research conducted in Mauritania among Malian refugees.…

The moment Niger’s procurement reform hit a wall When Decree No. 2022-743/PRN/PM was signed on 29 September 2022, it was presented as a decisive turning point for public procurement in Niger. By introducing the competitive dialogue procedure, the government promised to streamline public spending, strengthen transparency, and give the state access to the technical expertise needed for major development projects. Three years on, that turning point has become a dead end. The reform has delivered no tangible results for Niger’s economy, leaving businesses and taxpayers with little more than a…

The voice of Benin resonated at the United Nations headquarters in New York. Foreign Minister Corinne Amori Brunet delivered the country’s national statement on the final day of the general debate of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly. She spoke alongside the permanent mission led by Ambassador Marc Hermanne Araba, Benin’s permanent representative to the intergovernmental body. This intervention came in a particularly scrutinized order of speakers, with Benin’s top diplomat taking the podium right after the delegations of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger. UN principles translated into…

Accra has drawn a line in the sand, turning down a sweeping health agreement with Washington over medical data access, pathogen information, and alleged constraints on drug oversight. The move signals a decisive shift in Africa’s health sovereignty debate. ACCRA — Ghana has just posed a question that reaches far beyond the walls of its health ministry: what is a nation’s sovereignty worth when foreign financial aid comes with sensitive strings attached? Accra’s answer is now clear: not $109 million. The Ghanaian government turned down a new health agreement proposed…

A decisive shift becomes imperative as Agadez, Arlit and Tchirozérine endure months of darkness and water scarcity The reality across northern Niger cannot be captured by official statements or announcements of new energy capacity. In several localities, residents have been grappling with two elemental necessities water and electricity for the past two months. This is the moment when rhetoric must give way to tangible results, and the urgency of that shift has never been clearer. Entire cities plunged into darkness The situation is no longer a matter of occasional outages.…