West Africa

Nigeria’s parliament has declared ritual killings a national emergency. Minority leader Toby Okechukwu blamed the vice on Nollywood films with storylines that feature juju. “Ritual killing had become a predominant theme in most homemade movies which if not checked, our younger generation may begin to view it as an acceptable …

Guinea-Bissau’s President Umaro Sissoko Embaló says the masterminds of last week’s coup attempt served time in US jails for drug trafficking. The president said a former navy admiral and two of his aides were involved in a well-funded plot to assassinate him, his prime minister and other senior officials. He …

A soldier and five park rangers have been killed in an attack by suspected Islamist militants in a national park in northern Benin. At least 10 other people have been injured. The ambush on Tuesday afternoon happened during a routine patrol in the W National Park, which straddles the borders …

A Ghanaian journalist and host of Power FM Radio has been sentenced to 14 days in prison for contempt of court, reports the BBC. The journalist Oheneba Boamah Bennie, reportedly issued a series of threats to President Nana Akufo-Addo in a live video on his Facebook page. The journalist alleged …

Malian security forces supported by the European force Takuba managed to eliminate at least thirty jihadists, the French staff announced on Tuesday, in the midst of diplomatic tension between Bamako and Paris. Details provided by the General Staff in a press release indicate that a unit of Task Force Takuba …

Authorities in Senegal have rewarded each member of the national football team with cash prizes lands following their win at the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON 2021). President Macky Sall said each team member will receive more than $87,000 and plots in the capital, Dakar, and nearby Diamniadio. He also …

Russian President Vladimir Putin said his country had nothing to do with Russian military contractors working in Mali. According to the president, the African country had the right to work with private Russian firms. Putin, speaking at a news conference after talks with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron, said there …

The Spanish company, Maxam, owner of the truck that exploded and killed 13 people last month en route to an internationally-run gold mine in western Ghana violated storage and transport laws and has been fined $6 million, the lands ministry said on Tuesday. The truck, was transporting explosives to the …

A concerned mobile network subscribers group in Ghana has declared Tuesday “No Calls Day” in protest at a government directive to re-register all SIM cards in the country. They argue that the directive is illegal. The group has so far collected more than 7,000 signatures online as part of the …

Malian government has asked the West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA) to lift sanctions that will have severe consequences for the population, it said on Monday. The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the UEMOA regional monetary union both imposed sanctions on Mali on Jan. 9 after …