insert_link Africa Russia-Ukraine war spills into west Africa: Mali attacks signal dangerous times ahead By Olayinka Ajala, Leeds Beckett University Russia suffered significant blows to its reputation in mid-2024. An attack on its territory by Ukraine came as a surprise. In west Africa, the Wagner mercenary group, supported by Russia, suffered one of its heaviest fatalities in Mali. An alliance of Tuareg rebel groups known as the Permanent Strategic Framework for the Defense of the People of Azawad joined forces in late […] todayAugust 19, 2024 20
insert_link Africa ECOWAS Aims to Reintegrate Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso into Regional Bloc West Africa's regional bloc, the Economic Community of West African States, says it will continue to encourage Mali, Niger Republic and Burkina Faso to rejoin the bloc. Reporting for us is Tesem Akende from Jos. todayAugust 12, 2024 12
insert_link Africa West Africa is changing: five essential reads on breakaways from Ecowas By Adejuwon Soyinka, The Conversation The Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas) has been in the news lately – mostly for the wrong reasons. The bloc is facing its biggest crisis since it was formed in 1975. Three of its 15 countries – Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali – have broken away and formed an alternative grouping, the Alliance of Sahel States. While […] todayJuly 10, 2024 14
insert_link Africa Senegal’s president urges dialogue with Sahel military juntas Senegalese President and West Africa's ECOWAS "facilitator" Bassirou Diomaye Faye called Monday for dialogue and peaceful reconciliation with three countries that recently split from the bloc. The military leaders of Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso broke away from the Economic Community of West African States earlier this year and formed a confederation of their own on Saturday. ECOWAS heads of state met in Abuja on Sunday […] todayJuly 8, 2024 11
insert_link Africa Ecowas summit: 6 steps the leaders can take to restore stability and growth in west Africa By Olayinka Ajala, Leeds Beckett University This year’s summit of the Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas) takes place against a challenging environment for the regional bloc. Recent developments in the region have included coups, insecurity and economic instability. Climate change also poses challenges. Six successful and two attempted coups in the region since 2020 were followed by the withdrawal of Mali, Burkina […] todayJuly 8, 2024 17
insert_link Africa Africa enters into multi-country visa regime By Conrad Onyango, bird story agency Africa is moving towards a multi-country visa system, with individual countries and regional blocs working to remove their borders to promote intra-Africa tourism. Southern African countries are the latest to signal their intent to allow tourists to explore more diverse offerings across multiple destinations using a single visa. Leaders from Angola, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, which comprise […] todayJune 6, 2024 17
insert_link Africa Interstate deals fuel drive for African single roaming regime Seth Onyango, bird story agency Growing interstate deals to end roaming fees are boosting efforts for a unified roaming regime in Africa, essential for a connected digital market. Benin and Ghana are the latest African countries to slash communication costs for their citizens roaming between the two countries. The new rates apply from July 1 and align with a protocol introduced by the ECOWAS region in March […] todayApril 10, 2024 6
insert_link World Free movement in west Africa: three countries leaving Ecowas could face migration hurdles By Franzisca Zanker, Arnold Bergstraesser Institute; Amanda Bisong, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, and Leonie Jegen, University of Amsterdam For Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso, a recent decision to withdraw from the Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas) has thrown up questions about how they will navigate regional mobility in future. Ecowas covers a variety of sectors, but migration is a major one. The bloc’s protocols since 1979 […] todayFebruary 22, 2024 7
insert_link Africa West Africa trade will take a hit as Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso leave Ecowas By Olivier Walther, University of Florida The membership of the Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas) has been whittled down from 15 to 12 following the unilateral withdrawal of Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso in February. Founded in 1975, Ecowas is one of eight regional economic communities recognised by the African Union to foster regional integration on the continent. Its main objective is to create a […] todayFebruary 15, 2024 20
