Category: Top Stories

Can a $5.3 billion active portfolio really deliver three million jobs for Ivory Coast’s youth and women? That is the crucial question hanging over the World Bank Group’s first-ever open days in Abidjan, held on 21 and 22 September 2026 under the theme “Jobs and Opportunities: Building Together for Inclusive Growth”. The event brought together government officials, students, young graduates and project leaders to confront that very dilemma. The World Bank Group’s current engagement in Ivory Coast spans 25 active projects worth a total of $5.3 billion. The figure was…

Is Togo’s carefully polished image as a regional mediator hiding a far more transactional bargain? That question is no longer academic. When Luc Beyam, a senior figure in the Movement for Justice and Redress in Chad (MJRT), was detained over unpaid hotel bills in Lomé, the episode exposed what official statements have long obscured: a tacit arrangement between President Faure Gnassingbé and Chadian insurgents. Under the cover of peace facilitation, Togo has offered sanctuary to foreign armed figures. In return, the regime appears to receive intelligence, surveillance expertise and an…

How much silence can a government afford before the silence itself becomes the story? In Niamey, that question is now unavoidable. Moussa Kaka, one of Niger’s best-known journalists and the director-general of Radio Télévision Saraounia (RTS), has been out of sight for several weeks, and the absence of any official explanation is turning a personal tragedy into a test of the transitional government’s intentions. A veteran voice goes quiet in the heart of Niamey For decades, Moussa Kaka has been a familiar voice and face across West Africa. A seasoned…

Can a simple pair of eyeglasses, mentioned in a news report, bring down four journalists and cast a shadow over press freedom in Cameroon? That is the troubling question at the heart of a case that began with a seemingly trivial detail and ended with heavy convictions. The affair, which unfolded in a matter of weeks, has left the country’s media community reeling and raised urgent concerns about the boundaries of acceptable reporting. The unlikely spark: a rumor about ministerial eyewear It all started when a local publication ran a…

What happens when a security partnership built to protect a government starts producing a body count that rivals the wars it was meant to end? In Mali, the answer is becoming harder to avoid. Cross-checked conflict data and security information indicate that the Russian paramilitary contingent once deployed under the Wagner banner and now operating as Africa Corps has lost at least 358 personnel since its arrival in late 2021. That figure amounts to a symbolic threshold that unsettles the official narrative of a security reconquest across the Sahel. It…

Mali’s toughest question: can Goïta really fight jihadists and reconcile at the same time? In a rare radio and television address on Monday evening, Mali’s transitional president, General Assimi Goïta, laid out a dilemma that now defines his country’s future: intensify the war against armed jihadist groups while simultaneously extending an olive branch to fellow Malians. The dual message, delivered on the eve of the 66th independence anniversary, raises a crucial question — can a state escalate its military campaign and still bring divided communities back together? A call for…

The fallout from Liam Rosenior’s mid-season exit to Chelsea refused to stay confined to the stands at Stade Jean-Bouin. Over the weekend, the debate spilled onto the Ligue 1 review panel, where journalist Jonathan Helbling joined the discussion after matchday five to dissect the tense closing scenes in Strasbourg, the January switch to Chelsea and the depth of supporter anger. His guiding principle throughout: explain the fans’ fury without ever excusing the insults. A boss with two businesses under one roof For Helbling, the resentment in the away section was…

A direct appeal for unwavering vigilance In a passionate editorial broadcast on Saturday, September 19, 2026, during the program “Honneur et fidélité,” Atonfack Guemo, Director of Communication at the Ministry of Defense, issued a powerful call for vigilance. His message, rooted in the concept of global peace and security, urges all Cameroonians to remain alert and patriotic. But what does this mean for a nation already grappling with multiple threats? The global landscape of violence Frozen conflicts are thawing, ongoing wars drag on, and security crises persist. Across nearly every…

What price is being paid in the mineral-rich hills of eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) as the M23 armed group expands its control over some of the world’s most sought-after resources? That is the stark question at the heart of a new investigation into the group’s activities on artisanal mining sites, where fighters stand accused of a chilling pattern of abuse. Since its resurgence in 2021, the M23 has seized large swaths of territory in eastern DRC, including the strategic mining town of Rubaya. This single site produces roughly…