Postcards: Military overtones vibrate through renowned Mali arts festival

PORTIA CROWE, of Reuters, reports from the Festival sur le Niger in Segou in Mali…
West Africa bloc offers junta-led states six months to rethink exit as Niger says 39 civilians killed in militant attacks

Abuja, Nigeria Reuters Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger will have a six-month grace period after their scheduled exit from West Africa’s main political and economic group next month during which the ECOWAS bloc will try to persuade them to stay, the bloc’s leaders agreed on Sunday. Nigeria’s President and Chairman of Economic Community of West […]
Junta-led Sahel states rule out return to West African economic bloc

Niamey, Niger Reuters Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso, three military-led West African states, signed a confederation treaty on Saturday, underscoring their determination to chart a joint course outside the regional political and economic bloc that has been urging them to return to democratic rule. The signing took place at the first summit of the Alliance […]
Hundreds rally in Niger’s capital to push for US military departure

Niamey, Niger Reuters Hundreds took to the streets of Niger’s capital on Saturday to demand the departure of US troops, after the ruling junta further shifted its strategy by ending a military accord with the United States and welcoming Russian military instructors. Marching arm in arm through central Niamey, the crowd waved Nigerien flags in […]
Essay: West African trade bloc, ECOWAS, shaken as three member states withdraw and form their own alliance

OLUMBA E EZENWA and OLAYINKA AJALA, in an article first published on The Conversation, take a look at what’s happening in West Africa…
West African bloc lifts sanctions on junta-led Niger

Abuja, Nigeria Reuters The West African regional bloc said on the weekend it would lift strict sanctions on Niger as it seeks a new strategy to dissuade three junta-led states from withdrawing from the political and economic union – a move that threatens regional integration. Leaders of the Economic Community of West African States met […]
Senegal’s Sall promises to hold delayed presidential vote as soon as possible

Dakar, Senegal Reuters Senegalese President Macky Sall on Friday said he would fully abide by a court decision that overturned the postponement of the presidential election to December, pledging to hold consultations to organise the vote as soon as possible. A bill that pushed back the 25th February poll and plunged the country into electoral […]
Junta-led Sahel states confirm plan to form tri-state confederation – ministry

Reuters Junta-led Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger plan to proceed with the establishment of a confederation, the Malian foreign ministry said on Thursday, as the three countries deepen ties via an alliance that threatens broader West African integration. The neighbours in the impoverished Sahel region announced in January they would quit the Economic Community of […]
Three Senegal opposition lawmakers arrested after disputed vote delay

Dakar, Senegal Reuters Three Senegalese opposition lawmakers were arrested on Tuesday amid the fallout from parliament’s move to delay a presidential vote by 10 months that prompted West Africa’s economic and political bloc to call for the re-establishment of the electoral calendar. Lawmakers late on Monday approved a last-minute amendment to hold the vote on […]
Senegal parliament to debate extending President’s mandate as protests break out

Dakar, Senegal Reuters Senegalese police on Sunday cracked down on protests against the postponement of the presidential election, as parliament prepared to debate a bill that would reschedule the vote for August and extend President Macky Sall’s mandate. Sall announced on Saturday the 25th February vote would be delayed to an unspecified date due to […]