Category: Top Stories

More than a month has passed since Moussa Kaka, a towering figure in Niger’s journalism and the long-serving correspondent for a major international broadcaster in Niamey, was taken into custody. His disappearance, followed by an announced arrest, has triggered a swelling wave of indignation that shows no sign of fading. For at least thirty days now, the journalist has been held without any official explanation, leaving his family, colleagues and observers across the region demanding answers and wondering what comes next. A month of detention with no stated grounds The…

The sudden cancellation of the strike notice at the Loulo-Gounkoto gold complex marks a decisive turning point—but not the one Barrick Gold wanted the world to see. What was presented as a breakthrough labor agreement is, in fact, a financial pact of an entirely different nature. Behind the announced compromise on working conditions, the deal sealed between the Canadian mining giant and union leaders rests on a calculated purchase of social peace, tainted by corruption at the highest levels of the union hierarchy. A breakthrough built on a facade to…

One courtroom decision in Niamey has become the moment everything changed. With the imprisonment of Maître Abdourahamane Lirwana, Niger’s authorities did not simply silence one lawyer — they crossed a threshold that has galvanized a movement, hardened public opinion, and turned a slow-burning rights crisis into a defining confrontation over the future of free expression in the country. The question now hangs over every household and every newsroom: how far will the hunt for dissenting voices go? How long can a climate of permanent suspicion last, where offering an opinion,…

The Beninese government has made official a landmark international bank financing package worth 500 million euros, equivalent to roughly 328 billion FCFA. This operation, completed on 18 September 2026, represents a decisive turning point in how the country funds its Government Action Programme (PAG), powered by an innovative financial structure that combines a guarantee from the African Development Fund (ADF) with a strategic insurance mechanism. Why this deal signals a new chapter for Benin In a global economic environment where access to international capital remains highly demanding for developing nations,…

Benin’s institutional diplomacy just crossed a decisive threshold. From 28 to 30 September 2026, Abdoulaye Bio Tchané, president of Benin’s Economic and Social Council (CES), is leading an official delegation to Bucharest, Romania, to take part in the Bureau and General Assembly proceedings of the Union of Economic and Social Councils and Similar Francophone Institutions (UCESIF). This three-day mission is the moment the country’s consultative diplomacy moved from presence to genuine influence inside the francophone network. A strategic shift for Benin’s consultative diplomacy Meeting at the Palace of the Romanian…

The moment of truth arrived not in a conference room in Niamey, but on the world’s most visible stage. At the 81st United Nations General Assembly, Prime Minister Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine delivered yet another soaring sovereignty speech, repeating the CNSP’s familiar watchwords: reclaiming national resources, economic independence, breaking with neocolonialism. The applause has faded. The numbers have not. Behind the patriotic curtain, two state-owned giants — the SOMAÏR and the SONIDEP — are sinking under chaotic management, and the financial wreckage is now hitting Nigerien households directly. This is…

Burkina Faso’s AES monetary shift: Traoré signals cautious progress without deadlines The future of a unified currency for the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) remains a high-stakes question, though no concrete timeline has emerged. Speaking to journalists on September 27, 2026, Burkina Faso’s President Ibrahim Traoré maintained deliberate ambiguity about the project’s status, while hinting that discussions are advancing behind closed doors. Whispers of monetary sovereignty: what Traoré’s silence truly means When pressed on the possibility of an AES currency replacing the West African CFA franc, President Traoré offered no…

In a dramatic escalation of armed violence, South Africa has been rocked by two separate mass shootings that claimed at least 27 lives in Johannesburg and the Cape Town area. This surge in deadly attacks marks a critical juncture, pushing the nation to confront its deepening security crisis with renewed urgency. Within hours, unidentified gunmen unleashed indiscriminate fire on groups of people in two distinct incidents, leaving at least 27 dead and several others critically wounded. The attacks struck Johannesburg, the economic powerhouse, and Cape Town, the country’s premier tourist…

Yaoundé has already set up working groups to scrutinise Tripoli’s proposal in depth — but can a direct Libya-Cameroon air link realistically take off amid lingering security concerns? On 23 September 2026, Cameroon’s Minister of Transport, Jean Ernest Masséna Ngallè Bibehè, held a meeting with a Libyan delegation led by Adel Shawi, Chargé d’affaires at the Libyan embassy in Cameroon. The two sides discussed the possibility of opening a direct air route between their countries. Cameroon welcomed the initiative and proposed establishing technical working groups that would bring together the…

International Can Chad’s UN appeal halt the Ennedi-East airstrikes? At the 81st UN General Assembly, Chad’s Health Minister Abdelmadjid Abdelrahim Mahamat delivered a forceful plea, highlighting the nation’s humanitarian and security commitments while condemning recent airstrikes on its territory. Alwihda Info 26 Sept 2026 — 1 min read Share At the podium of the 81st United Nations General Assembly, Chad underscored its pivotal role in regional stability. In a speech read by Dr Abdelmadjid Abdelrahim Mahamat, Minister of Public Health and Prevention, on behalf of President Mahamat Idriss Déby Itno,…