west africalatest news & developments
South Africa’s department of international relations and cooperation announced its ascension to the African Union Peace and Security Council for a two-year term beginning in April 2026. (GCIS)

Peace in the ruins: South Africa, the African Union and the end of diplomatic illusion

Wars unfold in full view of the world with little consequence for the powerful and overwhelming punishment for the weak. To describe this order as functional requires a suspension of reality. The system is not reforming. It is decomposing

Malian police dispersed a demonstration against the presence of the French army in the country, on the fifth anniversary of the French military intervention. (Voice of America Africa via Wikimedia Commons)

Strength in exile: West African defenders building Hope across borders

With greater support for protection systems, human rights defenders can overcome the many obstacles that have been thrown in their path

Cote D’Ivoire’s President Alassane Ouattara has confirmed his candidacy for re-election. Photo: File

Ouattara poised to win Cote d’Ivoire’s October presidential elections

This is despite protests by opposition parties

Fickle singer: Ivorian Aicha Kone hold a photo of herself and Niger’s leader General Abdourahamane Tiani. Photo: Issouf Sanogo/AFP

Diva to junta: the singer praising West African putschists

How musical icon Aicha Kone has turned her back and microphone on the old political class in West Africa

Succes Masra gestures during a meeting of the Chadian political party Les Transformateurs. (Photo by -/AFP via Getty Images)

Chad at a crossroads: turmoil and transition in the heart of the Sahel

The West African nation is at a tipping point as it grapples with a refugee influx not seen in two decades. But the possibility for a path to peace exists

Nestlé’s Communication Executive Mota Mota.

Climate crisis: Huge blow to cocoa producers

Chocolate prices set to soar as climate change affects Nestlé’s production

(Graphic: John McCann)

Africa in the next decade is not a singular story

The old trade winds are blowing again and we must take notice, writes editor-in-chief Ron Derby