Verbatim sentences from the source article.
The Standard
… Tinubu said in his statement that Al-Minuki, also known as Abu-Mainok, was killed "along with several of his lieutenants, during a strike on his compound in the Lake Chad Basin", a restive region straddling Niger, Chad and Cameroon.Trump did not provide details on the form of att …
Trump, Nigeria claim killing of senior IS leaderCitizen Digital
… French troops withdrew from Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger in 2022 and 2023 after military juntas in these countries severed defence agreements with the former colonial power. …
France's desperate pivot to Kenya as its grip on West Africa weakensThe Standard
… rial, prosecutors called the former president the "instigator" of the alleged pact.Gaddafi became a pariah after the West laid the blame on Libya for the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 in 1988 over Lockerbie in Scotland -- which killed 259 people -- and of UTA Flight 772 over Niger …
French prosecutors demand seven-year sentence for SarkozyThe Standard
… Volker also said he was "alarmed and saddened" by the reports of high civilian casualties in attacks since Friday by Chadian fighter jets against Boko Haram camps on remote islands in the vast marshland shared by Nigeria, Cameroon, Niger and Chad.The bombardment has reportedly ki …
UN urges independent probes into deadly Nigeria, Chad airstrikesCapital News
… The military leaders who have seized power in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger – all former French colonies – have expelled French troops who were helping in the fight against an Islamist insurgency in the region and instead turned towards Russia for assistance. …
France seeks to move beyond colonial ties by meeting African leaders in KenyaThe Standard
… It is also the first to be held since the dramatic collapse of relations between France and several West African countries, notably Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger. …
Why Nairobi Africa France summit bears the hallmarks of Macron-Ruto prioritiesThe Standard
… Central to transforming Africa's fortunes should be an overhaul of international finance, to set up a system of financial guarantees to bring in private investment, he added.France withdrew its troops from Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger after the military in each country seized pow …
France's Macron defends Europe in AfricaThe Standard
… France withdrew its troops from Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger after the military in each country seized power between 2020 and 2023. …
President Macron defends Europe in AfricaThe Standard
… The 2026 summit is the first Africa-France summit held in an African country that is not a former French colony, and the first since the collapse of relations between France and several west African countries, notably Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger. …
'We want a balanced conversation': Ruto puts Africa's case to France, G7The Standard
… of economic, political and military sway dubbed Françafrique, which included keeping thousands of troops in the region.The 2026 gathering is also the first since the collapse of relations between France and a number of West African countries, notably Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger …
'A total lack of respect': Macron halts Africa Forward Summit youth forum over noiseMali, Niger, and Burkina Faso—three countries led by military governments—are bidding jointly to host the 2032 Africa Cup of Nations, following a meeting between officials and CAF president Patrice Motsepe in New York.
22 July 2026 · Citizen Digital →
Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso—three countries led by military governments—are bidding jointly to host the 2032 Africa Cup of Nations, following a meeting between officials and CAF president Patrice Motsepe in New York.
22 July 2026 · Citizen Digital →
Nigerian women are being trafficked along West African migrant routes to Europe through deception—promised legitimate jobs abroad but forced into prostitution and trapped by debt and superstitious "juju" curses. Many face family rejection upon return because they stop sending remittances home.
22 July 2026 · Citizen Digital →
Three West African countries led by military governments met with the Confederation of African Football president to advance their joint bid to host the 2032 Africa Cup of Nations, marking a pivotal stage in the bidding process under CAF regulations.
22 July 2026 · The Standard →
West African leaders have formally endorsed the Nigeria-Morocco Atlantic Gas Pipeline, a 6,000km infrastructure project that will carry Nigerian gas to Morocco and link into Europe's gas network via Spain. Construction is expected to begin in 2028 with an estimated cost of $25bn, and according to energy experts, the project could shift the region from a model where African gas is extracted, refined abroad, and reimported at higher prices.
21 July 2026 · Capital News →
Jihadists and separatist Tuareg rebels launched coordinated attacks across Mali on Saturday, striking multiple northern and central towns and a prison near the capital. The attacks came two months after a similar operation in which the country's defence minister was killed.
4 July 2026 · The Standard →
Nigeria's defence minister said the country is expanding military cooperation with Benin and Niger to counter jihadist groups from the Sahel region encroaching on Nigeria's northwest, including groups like JNIM attempting to infiltrate through Benin into Nigeria.
3 July 2026 · The Standard →
Burkina Faso's military government has ended diplomatic relations with France, accusing it of "ceaseless activism" against the country and neo-colonial ambitions. The decision follows years of friction since Captain Ibrahim Traore seized power in 2022 and expelled French troops, pivoting instead toward China and Russia.
28 June 2026 · Capital News →
Burkina Faso broke off diplomatic relations with France on Friday, citing years of worsening ties over security, sovereignty, and alleged foreign interference. France said it regrets the decision and is considering taking reciprocal measures.
28 June 2026 · Citizen Digital →
Niger has officially submitted its withdrawal request from the ICC on 18 June, nine months after announcing its intent alongside Mali and Burkina Faso, citing the court as an "instrument of neo-colonialist repression". The withdrawal takes effect one year after notification, and Niger must honour its obligations to the court until that date.
24 June 2026 · Capital News →
Niger has officially submitted its request to withdraw from the International Criminal Court, with the withdrawal taking effect one year after notification on June 18, 2026. The junta-ruled country, alongside Mali and Burkina Faso, announced the move in September, characterizing the ICC as an "instrument of neo-colonial repression in the hands of imperialism."
24 June 2026 · The Standard →
Mali has declared 39 parks and forests, including the 80,000-hectare Faya forest near Bamako, as off-limits military zones for civilians to prevent jihadist groups from using them as bases for attacks. The move follows large-scale attacks by JNIM and ethnic Tuareg separatist allies in late April that killed Mali's defence minister.
22 June 2026 · The Standard →
On August 1, Kenya commemorates the 44th anniversary of a 1982 attempted military coup that seized the national broadcaster and threatened the Republic's democratic future. General Mahamoud Mohamed led the loyalist response that defeated the rebellion and restored constitutional authority, with contemporaries crediting his courage and decisive action during the crisis.
22 June 2026 · The Standard →
Gunmen attacked Diori Hamani international airport in Niamey on Thursday, killing 35 people comprising 22 assailants, 11 soldiers, and two civilians. Al-Qaeda affiliate JNIM claimed responsibility for the assault, the second attack on the airport in less than five months.
19 June 2026 · Capital News →
Niger's security forces repelled an attack on Diori Hamani International Airport in Niamey early Thursday, with gunfire ringing out for hours near the sensitive site. An airport source said the attack left numerous attackers dead and others captured with help from local residents.
19 June 2026 · Citizen Digital →
A string of West African countries have outlawed same-sex relations in recent months, further eroding LGBTQ rights on a continent where they were already under attack. Of Africa's 54 countries, only about 20 do not currently criminalise same-sex relations.
18 June 2026 · Citizen Digital →
France is seeking to expand its influence in East Africa and Kenya after losing ground in the Sahel, but protests against French President Macron's participation in Nairobi's Africa Forward Summit signal rising anti-French sentiment in the region over France's colonial legacy.
15 June 2026 · The Standard →
Suspected jihadists from the Lakurawa group killed more than 20 people in a raid on the Fesken Rafi community in Kebbi state near the Niger border, according to a confidential security report prepared for the United Nations. The attack followed a period of reduced violence by the group and may signal a resurgence of operations.
14 June 2026 · Citizen Digital →
An analysis in The Standard argues that President Ruto's apology for the historical exclusion of Northern Kenya from national discourse reflects a broader postcolonial African challenge of building inclusive nations from borders drawn without regard for geography or identity, with reconciliation requiring acknowledgement of historical grievances.
12 June 2026 · The Standard →
Kuwait's Interior Ministry has issued a directive prohibiting recruitment of domestic workers from Kenya and 26 other African countries, based on recommendations from its ministries of Foreign Affairs and Health and the Public Authority for Manpower. Domestic workers from some countries including South Africa, Ethiopia, the Philippines, and Sri Lanka have been granted recruitment, though male workers only in several cases.
10 June 2026 · Citizen Digital →
A Mo Ibrahim Foundation report released in May 2026 found that limited freedom of movement and connectivity for Africans, despite the African Union's Free Movement of Persons Protocol, are hampering the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area agreement. While Mali, Niger, Rwanda, and São Tomé and Príncipe have ratified the Protocol, other countries remain closed due to security concerns, reciprocity issues, and lack of political commitment.
7 June 2026 · Citizen Digital →
At least 49 people died of thirst in a remote part of the Sahara desert in northern Niger after the truck carrying them broke down while returning from celebrations in Mali. The group became stranded more than 80km west of Assamaka, and only two survived by trekking to the border crossing to alert authorities.
6 June 2026 · Capital News →
A criminal gang abducted seven students from housing near the Federal Polytechnic in Zamfara state, Nigeria, in the latest incident of kidnappings by armed gangs in poorly policed rural areas. One student escaped, while search efforts continue for the others amid wider concerns over school security across the country.
4 June 2026 · The Standard →
Madagascar's High Constitutional Court dismissed an opposition lawmaker's bid to oust military ruler Colonel Michael Randrianirina, ruling the challenge fell outside constitutional requirements. The MP had accused Randrianirina, in power since October, of treason for constitutional violations including improper appointments.
29 May 2026 · Citizen Digital →
Kenya became the first Anglophone African country to host the Africa Forward Summit, with French President Emmanuel Macron using the Nairobi meeting to argue that France is pivoting toward investment-led, mutually beneficial relations rooted in respect for sovereignty, even as France's influence has narrowed following military juntas in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger severing ties with Paris.
24 May 2026 · The Standard →
France sent its foreign minister to Togo in April—the first such visit in 24 years—as part of an effort to counter Russia's growing influence in the west African country. In 2025, Moscow signed an agreement with Togo to send military instructors, ships, and aircraft, potentially allowing the Russian paramilitary Africa Corps to expand within the mineral-rich nation.
20 May 2026 · The Standard →
Kenya's Harambee Stars have been placed in Group D of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers alongside South Africa, Guinea, and Eritrea, following the draw in Cairo. Though Kenya has already secured automatic qualification as a co-host, the qualifiers will test the team's readiness ahead of the tournament, with head coach Benni McCarthy facing an emotional fixture against his former country South Africa.
19 May 2026 · Citizen Digital →
Kenya ratified a Defence Cooperation Agreement with France on April 8, 2026, granting French soldiers legal immunity from Kenyan prosecution. The move has drawn criticism from lawyer Dr. Miguna Miguna, who warns the deal undermines national sovereignty and risks repeating past failures linked to foreign military presence.
18 May 2026 · Citizen Digital →
The two-day Africa Forward Summit in Nairobi, co-hosted by President William Ruto and President Emmanuel Macron, closed with €23 billion in pledges (€14 billion from French firms and €9 billion from African companies) targeting energy, technology, and agriculture, alongside eleven Kenya-France memoranda on infrastructure and services—though the event was marked by street protests and tear gas outside the venue.
17 May 2026 · The Standard →
Nigeria's President Bola Tinubu and the country's military confirmed the killing of Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, described by US President Donald Trump as IS's second-in-command worldwide, in a joint Nigeria–US operation overnight in the Lake Chad Basin. Al-Minuki was killed along with several of his lieutenants.
16 May 2026 · Citizen Digital →
US President Donald Trump announced that American and Nigerian forces have killed Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, the second in command of ISIS globally, in a jointly planned operation. Trump said al-Minuki had been under US sanctions since 2023 and was described as the most active terrorist in the world.
16 May 2026 · Citizen Digital →