World Info

🇸🇳Senegal’s Unrest: A Vendor and a Student Killed in Violent Clashes Senegal is facing a political crisis as President Macky Sall delayed the presidential election until December, sparking violent protests that have killed two people. A market vendor and a university student died in separate incidents in Dakar and Saint-Louis, while police used tear gas and force to disperse the demonstrators. Opposition candidate Khalifa Sall condemned the “excesses of this dying regime”. President Sall justified the postponement by citing a conflict between the parliament and the Constitutional Council over the eligibility of some candidates. He also said he wanted to promote “appeasement and reconciliation”. However, his decision was criticised by the US and the EU, and his parliament extended his term until early 2025. The move has damaged Senegal’s image as a stable democracy in a region plagued by coups #Senegal #protest @Worldinfo5

🇧🇫Burkina Faso: Dozens of civilians killed in eastern region by armed groups On February 7, a village in the eastern region of Burkina Faso was attacked by armed groups, resulting in the death of about 50 civilians. The attackers had previously ordered the villagers to leave, but they refused and tried to resist with the help of local volunteers. The armed groups also kidnapped some people and burned the market and the food supplies. The eastern region of Burkina Faso has been plagued by violence from armed terrorist groups for several months, despite the efforts of the security forces and the volunteers for the defense of the homeland (VDPs). Many residents have fled to nearby areas to seek safety. The attack on the village of Galgnoini is one of the deadliest in recent times. #burkinafaso @Worldinfo5

🇸🇳Senegal cuts internet as opposition protests election delay Senegal’s government has shut down mobile internet in Dakar as the opposition plans to protest a bill to postpone the presidential election indefinitely. The bill, proposed by President Macky Sall on Saturday, has been denounced by the opposition as an “institutional coup” and a violation of the constitution. The government says the delay is to prevent the spread of a new coronavirus variant. The international community has urged the government to restore internet access and dialogue with the opposition. #senegal @worldinfo5

‘Institutional Coup’ or Prudent Move? 🇸🇳 Senegal’s President Faces Backlash for Postponing Election 🇸🇳Senegal’s president Macky Sall delayed the February 25 election with no new date, sparking protests and clashes. The opposition, tear-gassed and arrested, called it an “institutional coup” and pledged to fight it legally and politically. The ECOWAS and the African Union urged Sall to announce a new date and talk to the opposition, while praising his democratic and stabilizing role in Senegal. We were promised a democracy, but we got a dictatorship. Senegal’s government has changed the rules to suit themselves, ignoring the constitution and the people. They have rigged the election in many ways, from controlling the courts to jailing the opposition. They are desperate to keep power, and they don’t care about the people. They want us to think that we have no voice, and no choice, but they are wrong. We will not stop, we will not be quiet. #senegal @Worldinfo5

The Secret Strategy of 🇷🇺 Russia to Dominate the Sahel Region 🇷🇺Russia seeks to expand its presence in the Sahel through 🇱🇾Libya and 🇳🇪Niger. It supports meetings between the Nigerien junta and Haftar’s LNA in eastern Libya. It also wants to link Haftar with the Niger-Mali-Burkina Faso alliance. A Nigerien delegation visited Benghazi this week for security talks. Russia’s Deputy Defence Minister Yevkurov leads the project of strengthening ties between the two countries. He visited Benghazi on Monday, his fifth visit in less than seven months. Putin has created the Africa Corps to replace Wagner and formalize the Russian presence in the Sahel. He aims to access the naval bases in eastern Libya by signing a defence pact. Turkey is also interested in Niger and the region. #russia #niger #libya @Worldinfo5

🇷🇺Russian Mercenaries Spark Tension in 🇳🇪Niger’s Junta A group of Russian mercenaries, the “African Corps”, plans to operate in Niger and other Sahel countries by the summer. This follows a meeting in Moscow between Niger’s Defence Minister Salifu Modi and his Russian counterparts. However, not everyone in Niger’s junta is in favor of the Russian involvement. According to sources, a heated debate took place on January 3 at the army headquarters, where the head of the junta, General Tiani, and Minister Modi faced opposition from the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces, Moussa Barmou, who is seen as a pro-American officer. Barmou reportedly rejected the idea of allowing Russian soldiers and former Wagner mercenaries to operate in Niger. The rift within the junta over the Russian issue has now become public, exposing the fragility of Niger’s transitional regime. #niger #russia #usa @Worldinfo5

How Jihadists Turned a Peaceful Village into a Killing Field A deadly attack by suspected jihadists left 22 civilians dead in Niger on Sunday, January 28. The incident occurred in the village of Moto Gatta, in the Tillabéri region near the Mali border. The attackers arrived on motorcycles around 4:00 p.m. local time and opened fire on the villagers, including self-defense militiamen. The Tillabéri region has been under a state of emergency since 2017, due to frequent attacks by Islamist militants linked to al-Qaeda and the Islamic State. These groups have also carried out similar assaults in neighboring Mali and Burkina Faso, posing a serious threat to security and stability in the Sahel region. #motogatta #niger @worldinfo5

Terrorist attack and protests rock Burkina Faso 🇧🇫 A terrorist group killed eight people and injured 16 in an attack on a bus near the Ghana-Togo border on Sunday. The attackers were linked to al-Qaeda’s JNIM, which operates in the region. In Ouahigouya, thousands of protesters stormed the governorate and public TV offices, demanding more security in the north. They set fire to tires and blocked roads, and blamed the Transition authorities for failing to protect them. The Transition authorities took power after a coup in 2020 that ousted former President Kaboré. The protesters also threatened to stop joining the VDP, a civilian militia that helps the security forces fight the insurgents. The city’s schools were closed as a safety measure. The protesters called the Transition supporters “sellouts” and accused the journalists of ignoring their plight. No Russian 🇷🇺 flag in sight! #Burkinafaso @Worldinfo5

How Six 🇳🇬 Nigerian Schoolchildren Lost Their Lives to a Deadly Device A horrific incident took the lives of six schoolchildren in northeast Nigeria on Saturday. The children, who attended an Islamic school in the Gubio area of Borno state, found an improvised explosive device and mistook it for scrap metal. They stored it in an unfinished building and tried to sell it later, but it exploded and killed them. The incident was confirmed by the police and a local government official on Sunday. The children were aged between 13 and 15 and were studying the Qur’an at the school. They often collected and sold scrap metal to support themselves and their families. Borno state is the epicenter of a long-standing Islamist insurgency that has plagued the region #nigeria @Worldinfo5

West African juntas quit regional bloc over sanctions Three countries in West Africa, led by military juntas, have announced their withdrawal from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), a regional organization of fifteen countries that promotes economic integration and political cooperation. Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger issued a joint statement on Sunday, January 28, saying they were leaving ECOWAS with immediate effect. The statement, which was broadcasted on public media in the three countries, accused ECOWAS of interfering in their internal affairs, failing to support them in the fight against terrorism and imposing unjust economic sanctions on them. The statement was signed by the leaders of the three juntas: Assimi Goïta of Mali, Ibrahim Traoré of Burkina Faso and Abdourahamane Tiani of Niger. Colonel Abdoulaye Maïga, the spokesman of the Malian government, read the statement in Mali. #mali #niger #burkinafaso #ecowas @worldinfo5