Saudi Arabia’s air defenses recently shot down a Houthi drone targeting the Mecca region—an incident that goes beyond a routine military engagement. This interception reveals deeper strategic calculations by Yemen’s…
Niger’s 500 missing worshippers: unpacking the systemic collapse behind a mass abduction
On August 21, 2026, Niger crossed a grim threshold. As worshippers streamed out of Friday prayers, heavily armed militants surrounded multiple mosques, sealed exits, and forcibly marched nearly 500 civilians…
Inside Nigeria’s relentless crackdown: how military strategy crippled jihadist networks in the Lake Chad basin
How Nigeria’s armed forces dismantled insurgent supply lines and decimated jihadist ranks The Nigerian military has achieved a significant turning point in its fight against Boko Haram and ISWAP in…
Inside Benin’s Paris residency: the currents driving 26 days at Fnac Saint-Lazare
For nearly a month, Paris will live to the rhythm of Benin. From September 22 to October 17, 2026, Fnac Saint-Lazare is devoting an exceptional program to this West African…
Senegal’s special funds: why the oversight bill keeps hitting the same wall
Senegal’s special funds: why the oversight bill keeps hitting the same wall The real reason Senegal’s discretionary spending still slips past parliament has little to do with political will. It…
Behind Wadagni’s Kigali agenda: why memory sits at the core of Benin-Rwanda diplomacy
KIGALI — When Romuald Wadagni touched down in Kigali on Wednesday, September 16, 2026, the choreography of the two-day state visit told its own story. For Benin’s president, sworn in…
Sankara’s mausoleum and the marginalised widow: a study in memory politics
The ceremonial inauguration and its silences On 17 May 2025, the Burkina Faso authorities unveiled the Thomas Sankara mausoleum at the former Conseil de l’Entente site in Ouagadougou. The event,…
Burkina Faso’s 85% administrative efficiency score: the structural blind spots behind a self-assessed number
As households across Burkina Faso confront deepening hardship and struggle to reach basic public services, the transitional government has opted for a striking display of self-congratulation. By publishing a theoretical…
Niamey mutiny exposes deep rifts in Niger’s military leadership
A failed mutiny at Niamey’s Air Base 101 in late August left at least 13 members of the Presidential Guard dead and numerous others wounded in intense clashes involving heavy…
Algerian helicopter strike kills 48 gold miners at Niger border, exposing Niamey’s fragile sovereignty
A deadly dawn in the Sahara At least 48 civilians lost their lives when an Algerian military helicopter opened fire on an artisanal gold mining site straddling the Niger-Algeria frontier.…