West Africa’s Sahel becoming a drug trafficking corridor, UN warns | Drugs News

West Africa’s Sahel becoming a drug trafficking corridor, UN warns | Drugs News

Drug seizures, mainly of cocaine and cannabis resin, have soared in the region, according to a UN report. Drug seizures have soared in the West African Sahel region, according to a new United Nations report, indicating the conflict-ridden region is becoming an influential route for drug trafficking. In 2022, 1,466kg…

Deadly Sahel heatwave caused by ‘human-induced’ climate change: Study | Climate Crisis News

Deadly Sahel heatwave caused by ‘human-induced’ climate change: Study | Climate Crisis News

Mali and Burkina Faso recorded most extreme heat in what scientists called a once-in-a-200-year occurrence. Human-caused climate change contributed to an unusually intense and lethal hot spell throughout West Africa’s Sahel region in April, according to a study by World Weather Attribution (WWA), an international network of scientists focusing on…

Senegal’s women voters could make a miracle happen in presidential election | Elections News

Senegal’s women voters could make a miracle happen in presidential election | Elections News

Popenguine-Ndayane is home to me. This small fishing village on the Atlantic coast some 100km (62 miles) from Senegal’s capital, Dakar, is a site of pilgrimage for the country’s Christian minority. For the past 135 years, pilgrims – including the pope – have travelled here to pray at a site where…

ECOWAS lifts sanctions on Niger amid tensions in West Africa bloc | Politics News

ECOWAS lifts sanctions on Niger amid tensions in West Africa bloc | Politics News

The West African regional bloc is lifting most sanctions imposed on Niger over last year’s coup, in a new push for dialogue following a series of political crises that have rocked the region in recent months. A no-fly zone and border closures were among the sanctions being lifted “with immediate…

UN rights chief decries death of 50 people in Mali attacks | Military News

UN rights chief decries death of 50 people in Mali attacks | Military News

The UN official said he was ‘appalled’ by the killings in central Mali. The UN rights chief on Thursday said he was “appalled” by alleged summary executions of 25 people by Mali’s army and “foreign military personnel” last week in a region plagued by violence from armed groups. Volker Turk…

Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso announce withdrawal from ECOWAS | Military News

Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso announce withdrawal from ECOWAS | Military News

The three nations, led by military governments, accused the regional bloc of becoming a threat to member states. Three military-led West African nations have announced their immediate withdrawal from regional bloc ECOWAS, accusing the body of becoming a threat to its members. Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso “decide in complete…

More than 70 dead in artisanal mine collapse in Mali | Mining News

More than 70 dead in artisanal mine collapse in Mali | Mining News

Despite the dangers, small-scale unregulated mines continue to flourish and attract thousands of gold miners. More than 70 people have died in southwest Mali after an artisanal gold mine collapsed last week, officials have said, the latest disaster in a region prone to mining accidents. Karim Bethe, a senior National…