West Africa

The Nigerian military has urged residents of Plateau state not to arm themselves, as local politicians advised a few weeks ago. Last week, Plateau’s parliament said as the security forces could no longer guarantee people’s safety, they should take up arms. But the self-arming decision has not been welcomed by …

Cholera disease continues to wreak havoc in West Africa. The epidemic has killed 83 people in Niger, where authorities have recorded more than 2,300 cases since March 13. Out of Niger’s eight regions, six are said to have been affected by the outbreak, which has been worsened by floods. Read …

After 17 years together and 7 years of marriage, Anita Okoye, wife of famous Nigerian artist Paul Okoye aka Rude Boy, filed for divorce a few days ago. And as one might expect, Paul Okoye was quick to take the floor to comment on this unprecedented situation. Former member of …

Boubeye Maiga, Malian former prime minister was arrested on Thursday for his role in the purchase of a presidential plane during the rule of ousted President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita. “The exact reason for the arrest was not clear, but it was related to Mali’s purchase of a jet in 2014 …

Hundreds of Islamist fighters have attacked a military post in the southern region of Diffa, the defence ministry in Niger says in a statement. The attack left sixteen soldiers dead and nine other wounded, it said. During the fight, Nigerien army succeeded in killing 50 members of the Boko Haram …

In a statement, the Nigerien army said it has killed 100 jihadists in an operation in a south-western region near the Burkina Faso border. The operation held in the Torodi area and followed an attack that killed 19 security officers on a resupply mission on 31 July. Another team that …

Health ministry in Ivory Coast announced that the first person to be tested positive for Ebola virus since 1994 has now recovered. It was about a woman, 18 years old who travelled from Guinea to Abidjan by bus two weeks ago and then tested positive for the ebola disease. Ivory …

Ghanaian police announced plans to carry out a mass burial for 200 unidentified and unclaimed bodies. The burial will begin “by close of work this week” according to the statement released on Monday. Bodies to be buried are corpses that have accumulated over the past six months, including those of …

The former head of the Guinean-Bissau army will not be handed over to the United States where he is wanted for alleged drug trafficking offenses. The announcement was made by Bissau-Guinean President Umaro Sissoco Embaló. Last week, the US authorities announced a $5m bounty for information leading to the arrest …

An attack on Nigeria’s top military academy left at least two people dead and another abducted, said the Nigerian army in a statement. An army spokesman said unknown gunmen broke into the campus in the northern city of Kaduna in the early hours of Tuesday morning. The Nigerian Defence Academy …