West Africa

Muhammadu Buhari, the Nigerian president has nominated four former military commanders for ambassadorial roles after their resignation last week. The president overhauled the military’s top command amid growing calls for a reshuffle due to insecurity across the country. He accepted the resignation of the chief of defence staff and the …

Hundreds of shops and stalls have been completely burnt in an overnight at a market in the Nigerian capital, Abuja. One person sleeping in the market was burnt to death in the incident at the Tippa Garage Market in the Gwarinpa district. Assorted goods including food, building materials and clothing …

Dozens of Islamist Boko Haram militants have been killed by Nigerian soldiers in a major operation the north-east of the country. Troops stormed the jihadists’ strongholds in Kidari, Argude, Takwala, Chowalta and Galdekore, local media reports. The soldiers are said to have gained access into the notorious Timbuktu Triangle in …

Nine troops were killed in Mali’s troubled central region early Wednesday when their camp came under attack from jihadists, security sources said. Their position at Boni, located between Douentza and Hombori in the Mopti region, was attacked by “heavily armed individuals in armoured vehicles,” one source said, speaking on condition …

According to a government statement, the head of Liberia’s anti-corruption body, Ndubusi Nwabudike, has resigned. There were concerns on how he acquired his citizenship. Mr Nwabudike is in fact of Nigerian origin. Mr Nwabudike insists he is a Liberian and has denied any wrongdoing, but failed last year to prove …

Guinea should investigate how four opposition members died in pre-trial detention, Amnesty International says. They were arrested in connection with protests last year against a referendum on a new constitution that allowed President Alpha Condé to stand again in elections, which he went on to won. Those who died in …

Nigeria is set to receive 57 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines over the next few months, the authorities say. They have asked for a four-fold increase on their previous request for 10 million doses from the African Union. “We have applied for 41 million doses of a combination of Pfizer, …

Nigeria, a West African country, with a population of 201 million has extended the deadline for the mandatory registration of all mobile phone SIM (subscriber identity module or subscriber identification module) cards by eight weeks. Isa Pantami, the Nigerian Communication Minister in a statement said: “the extension is meant to …

Gambia’s President Adama Barrow launched his National People’s Party (NPP) on Saturday evening to support his candidacy for the presidential election scheduled for December 4. In a televised broadcast of a meeting that saw a large crowd of delegates and supporters gathered at the Independence Stadium in Bakau, the 55-year-old …

Seven orphans who were kidnapped from an orphanage on the outskirts of the Nigerian capital, Abuja, two weeks ago have been released. The orphanage was stormed by gunmen in Abaji area on 23 January and they kidnapped children aged between 10 and 13. Some adults who were abducted from their …