A camp for displaced persons in Burkina Faso, May 2024.
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Burkina Faso tops the list of the world’s most neglected crises in the world for the second time in a row.
Traditional authorities are a key part of the daily lives of millions of Africans.
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Traditional institutions represent, for many African citizens, the most immediate form of governance.
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Never before have four governments, including one of the regional leaders, Senegal, been simultaneously eager and ready to get out of the neo-colonial stranglehold of the CFA franc.
An anti-colonial demonstration against the CFA franc in Dakar, September 2017.
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Several conditions must be met to ensure the successful launch and operation of a multilateral currency.
The use of mother tongues as languages of instruction has become popular in many parts of Africa.
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Bilingual education can improve learning outcomes but it’s important to consider local context.
A protester holds a placard reading ‘down with Ecowas’ during a rally in Bamako on 1 February 2024.
Ousmane Makaveli /AFP via Getty Images
Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso have much to lose if they cannot migrate to and from neighbouring countries in Ecowas.
Weapons and ammunition seized from Islamist fighters by the Malian army.
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Slums in Bamako, Mali are transforming into landscapes of protracted unrest, civil conflict, violent extremism and urban insurgency.
A makeshift memorial for the head of the Wagner Group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, who died in August 2023.
Natalia Kolesnikova/AFP via Getty Images
Will the Wagner Group under new leadership uphold the ruthless modus operandi that propelled it to the spotlight in Africa?
Leaders of Ecowas at a meeting in Abuja, Nigeria on 10 December 2023.
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Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger announced their intention to leave Ecowas. This may be a pointer to a deeper crisis in the Sahel region.
Ecowas has struggled to handle a raft of military coups.
U.S. Army Southern Europe Photostream/Flickr
The decision by the three countries could change the dynamics of Ecowas.
Children’s education is frequently disrupted in conflict-fraught areas.
Daniel Beloumou Olomo/AFP via Getty Images
Education can spur peace and development. Here are five essential reads on the topic.
Created in 2014, the G5 Sahel security alliance is about to be dissolved after members pulled out.
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Foreign powers’ interest in the Sahel is driven by its natural resources and strategic location for security and illegal migration control.
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From Myanmar to Pakistan, these countries have long-simmering conflicts or increasingly dissatisfied publics that could worsen in the new year.
Rock carving of an elephant at the Tassili N'Ajjer National Park, Tadrart Rouge, in Algeria.
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The Sahara Desert is green and vegetated every 21,000 years. A climate model shows why.
West Africa is struggling to deal with increasing terrorist attacks.
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The terrorism discourse in Ghana shows how flawed views of the war on terror continue to shape thinking about security.
Inmates are seen sitting at the male section of the Johannesburg Correctional Centre, known as Sun City.
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Finland’s experience shows the value of applying sensible conflict transformation perspectives in the management of crime.
Kora star Ballaké Sissoko at the sacred place of Sanementereng in The Gambia.
Screengrab/Ballaké Sissoko: Kora Tales/Vimeo
The extraordinary documentary Ballaké Sissoko: Kora Tales takes a journey from Mali to The Gambia.
A group of soldiers from the Niger gendarmerie at the gendarmerie school on 11 January 2023 in Niamey, Niger.
David Zorrakino/Europa Press via Getty Images
Ecowas’ threats to intervene militarily in Niger played a role in the creation of the Alliance of Sahel States, whose members have pledged to assist each other in the event of aggression.
The famous Malian footballer Salif Keïta (left).
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Salif Keïta helped define African football’s relationship with the rest of the world, was influential in France and shaped the game in Mali.
Emmanuel Macron has found himself to be an unpopular figure in parts of Africa.
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The French president has struggled to maintain the influence his country gained in Africa through colonialism.