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Malian army and Russian fighters retake key city of Kidal, abandoned by rebels
▲ 10 r/Africa

Malian army and Russian fighters retake key city of Kidal, abandoned by rebels

> In a statement released on Tuesday, the general staff claimed for the first time to have "engaged in large-scale air-land operations in the Kidal region" with its " Russian partners" in order to " neutralize armed terrorist groups," "destroyed their sanctuaries" and "sustainably restored the security of the population" and their "freedom of movement."

> Meanwhile, the Tuareg separatist Azawad Liberation Front (FLA) said in a statement it had "decided to carry out a strategic and controlled withdrawal of its forces from the city of Kidal", after capturing it during April attacks alongside allied jihadists who aimed to weaken Mali's junta rulers.

africanews.com
u/Bakyumu — 9 days ago
▲ 36 r/Africa

Remembering Cheikh Hamidou Kane: The Enduring Lessons of Ambiguous Adventure for Us Today

Today, I want to take a moment to pay my respects to one of our continent's most profound literary and intellectual giants, Cheikh Hamidou Kane. Beyond his decades of dedicated service as a statesman and international civil servant, Kane gave us one of our greatest philosophical anchors in Ambiguous Adventure (L'Aventure ambiguë).

Growing up and reading his work, what struck me most is how urgently it speaks to our lived reality. Leaving Niger for Canada over a decade ago to pursue my studies, Kane's words never felt like distant literature. They felt like a roadmap for surviving the cultural displacement that comes with an overseas education. Through Samba Diallo and the famous counsel of the Grande Royale, who urged her people to enter the foreign school to learn the art of conquering without being in the right, Kane exposed the central struggle of the modern African mind: How do we master modern systems without losing our soul?

​For young Africans today, whether on the continent or across the diaspora, his legacy gives us a clear mandate.

​We must pursue knowledge in science, economics, philosophy, governance, and technology at the highest levels, but always with cultural clarity. Acquiring modern tools should never mean abandoning our African heritage, languages, or worldviews.

​Samba Diallo's tragedy serves as a warning against alienation. Elite training abroad or in Westernized institutions cannot become an excuse for detachment from our people and our collective struggle.

​Development requires our best minds to reinvest back into our home nations. Whether through entrepreneurship, research, policy work, technology, or active civic participation, the skills we acquire belong in service of our communities.

​Cheikh Hamidou Kane showed us that intellectual rigour, high administrative service, and cultural devotion can coexist. His work reminds us that education is ultimately a collective debt we owe back home.

​At the close of Ambiguous Adventure, Samba Diallo's torn spirit is finally released from the agonizing contradictions of this world, entering a luminous, unbroken eternity where all divisions cease and peace is finally attained.

Today, as his creator departs this life, we pray for that exact same serenity. May Cheikh Hamidou Kane rejoin the ancestors and find that profound, radiant peace he so beautifully envisioned for Samba.

May his soul rest in eternal peace.

u/Bakyumu — 9 days ago
▲ 0 r/Niger

Prédire la chute, chercher des relais : le double standard de la position française au Sahel

Je suis tombé sur cette interview il y a quelques jours et je voulais partager quelques réflexions à ce sujet.

Je vais d'abord présenter le sinistre individu qu'est Fuchs. Bruno Fuchs est un député centriste français et le président de la commission des Affaires étrangères de l'Assemblée nationale, surtout connu pour son travail parlementaire et ses rapports sur la refonte des relations de la France avec les pays africains.

Son interview sur France 24 montre clairement à quel point les politiciens français sont encore déconnectés des changements en cours en Afrique. Même s'il prétend s'exprimer avec réalisme diplomatique, ses propos révèlent une vieille mentalité coloniale, pleine d'arrogance et animée par une volonté acharnée de maintenir le contrôle sur les anciennes colonies françaises.

Tout d'abord, la condescendance avec laquelle il traite l'AES témoigne d'un déni total. Paris refuse d'admettre que le Mali, le Burkina Faso et le Niger ont fait un choix souverain soutenu par leurs peuples, qui souhaitent simplement mettre fin à des décennies de tutelle française inutile. Fuchs parle comme si ces bouleversements majeurs n'étaient que de simples incidents de parcours provoqués par des dirigeants militaires que la France qualifie d'illégitimes uniquement parce qu'ils ont expulsé les troupes françaises.

Ensuite, affirmer que ces gouvernements vont inévitablement tomber et que la France doit préparer la suite avec des gens qu'elle connaît déjà est extrêmement dangereux. Il s'agit ni plus ni moins d'un aveu flagrant d'ingérence dans les affaires d'autres pays. Prédire sur une chaîne de télévision publique l'effondrement de gouvernements étrangers, tout en évoquant en coulisses la recherche de relais dociles pour les remplacer, relève de l'ingérence pure et simple. En lisant entre les lignes, cela prouve que la France s'octroie toujours le droit de décider qui gouverne en Afrique, espérant l'échec de ces régimes pour réinstaller des dirigeants soumis.

Cette posture est également d'une hypocrisie absolue, d'autant plus qu'Emmanuel Macron a prononcé un discours à l'ONU il y a quelques jours à peine pour dénoncer l'impérialisme et donner des leçons de souveraineté à la communauté internationale. Il est impossible de prendre au sérieux les sermons français contre l'impérialisme alors qu'au même moment, des responsables officiels français s'installent sur des plateaux télévisés pour expliquer comment orienter les transitions politiques et anticiper la chute de gouvernements au sein de nations africaines souveraines.

Le double standard évident tout au long de l'entretien achève de discréditer toute leçon de morale que la France tente d'asséner. Fuchs ne parle absolument pas avec la même hostilité de Madagascar, où il vient de se rendre, et la France n'adopte pas non plus ce ton envers le Tchad ou la Guinée.

Au cours de l'interview, il défend ouvertement la prise de pouvoir militaire à Madagascar, prétendant qu'il ne s'agit pas d'un vrai coup d'État simplement parce qu'un vernis légal a été respecté, et il évoque sans gêne le dialogue avec les dirigeants guinéens. Dans le même temps, Paris s'accommode depuis longtemps du pouvoir militaire au Tchad pour préserver ses intérêts stratégiques.

Pourquoi les responsables français se montrent-ils si souples et compréhensifs avec Madagascar, le Tchad ou la Guinée, tout en s'attaquant au Mali, au Burkina Faso et au Niger ? La raison est simple : Madagascar a accepté de signer d'importants contrats économiques et énergétiques avec des entreprises françaises, et ces autres régimes ne remettent pas frontalement en cause l'hégémonie française. Tant qu'un régime protège les intérêts commerciaux et géopolitiques de la France, celle-ci cesse subitement de se préoccuper de démocratie.

Enfin, l'obsession permanente à l'égard de la Russie, de la Turquie ou de la Chine démontre que l'élite française continue de percevoir l'Afrique comme son pré carré privé plutôt que comme un ensemble d'États indépendants libres de choisir leurs partenaires. En affirmant que les populations africaines sont simplement manipulées par des puissances étrangères, les politiciens français passent à côté de l'essentiel : les nations de l'AES ont résolu de briser les vieux monopoles coloniaux, de reprendre le contrôle de leurs propres ressources et de ne plus jamais revenir à un système qui n'a produit ni paix ni prospérité.

u/Bakyumu — 20 days ago
▲ 36 r/blackmen

Lil Durk Acquitted of All Charges at Trial Over Shooting That Killed Quando Rondo’s Cousin

> Lil Durk was acquitted of all charges Friday after a three-week trial where prosecutors accused him of orchestrating a murder-for-hire plot and defense lawyers attacked the credibility of the government’s cooperating witnesses, calling them admitted killers who implicated the Grammy-winning rapper to avoid life sentences.

rollingstone.com
u/Bakyumu — 1 month ago
▲ 18 r/Gatineau

Élections provinciales | Le candidat conservateur dans Pontiac se retire en raison de propos controversés - TVA Gatineau

Lors de la période de questions le matin du 9 septembre, le chef du Parti conservateur du Québec, Éric Duhaime, a précisé que son candidat a décidé de se retirer sa candidature afin de ne pas être une distraction pour le parti.

Le bureau d’enquête de Québécor avait dévoilé qu’Eric Lanthier avait à plusieurs reprises pris position contre la communauté LGBTQ+.

tvagatineau.ca
u/Bakyumu — 1 month ago
▲ 30 r/Africa

Guinea: France joins calls for transparent investigation into mass grave

> France has joined calls for a transparent and independent investigation by the Guinean justice system following the discovery of a mass grave in the south-western Forécariah prefecture.

>The bodies of six men, their hands tied and their eyes blindfolded, were found on Monday by a group of young people who had gone into the forest to collect firewood.

> Local authorities and the public prosecutor have since visited the scene and an official investigation has been opened.

> Civil society organisations are calling on the United Nation’s human rights office, as well as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, to ensure its proper conduct.

> Citizen movement, “Turn the Page-Guinea” said the fact that the bodies were hidden in an isolated area and lack identification “raises serious questions”.

> It says it has documented numerous reports of alleged extrajudicial executions of civilians and state agents since the military authorities came to power in September 2021.

africanews.com
u/Bakyumu — 1 month ago
▲ 3 r/Niger

NIGER : PUTSCH MANQUÉ… COMPLOT ÉTRANGER OU GROSSE MANIPULATION ? DÉBAT SANS CONCESSION !

Qui est réellement derrière la tentative de coup d’État qui a secoué le Niger ? Complot international contre le régime de Niamey ou mutinerie interne transformée en affaire géopolitique ?

Dans la nuit du 28 au 29 août, des éléments des forces nigériennes se soulèvent, prennent temporairement le contrôle de la base aérienne 101 et menacent plusieurs sites stratégiques de la capitale. Quelques jours plus tard, l’affaire prend une tout autre dimension avec la diffusion, sur la télévision d’État, du témoignage du capitaine Roger Gabriel.

L’officier raconte avoir reçu plusieurs appels pendant les événements. Selon son récit, certains de ses interlocuteurs lui auraient parlé d’une implication du Tchad, de la France, du Bénin, de la Côte d’Ivoire, mais aussi de proches de l’ancien président Mohamed Bazoum. Des accusations extrêmement lourdes circulent ainsi à partir de son témoignage, alors qu’aucune preuve matérielle publique ne vient, à ce stade de la retranscription, les corroborer.

Pour Wilfried Ekanga, le récit du capitaine ne peut pourtant pas être balayé d’un revers de main. Il insiste notamment sur le fait que Roger Gabriel cite des interlocuteurs précis et considère que plusieurs éléments rendent crédible l’hypothèse d’un coup d’État soutenu depuis l’extérieur.

Face à lui, Sadio Morel-Kanté, journaliste, chercheuse et chercheuse associée à l’IPSE, défend une lecture radicalement différente. Pour elle, sans éléments matériels permettant d’étayer ces accusations, le témoignage ne suffit pas. Elle soupçonne plutôt une stratégie visant à internationaliser une mutinerie née au sein même de l’appareil militaire, afin d’éviter que le pouvoir d’Abdourahamane Tiani ait à répondre des fractures internes révélées par cette crise.

Le débat devient alors particulièrement tendu : à qui profiterait la chute de Tiani ? Le silence ou les réactions prudentes des pays mis en cause renforcent-ils les soupçons ou ne prouvent-ils absolument rien ? L’important arsenal retrouvé après les événements constitue-t-il un indice d’une opération plus vaste ou ne permet-il toujours pas d’identifier d’éventuels commanditaires ?

Et surtout, une question traverse toute cette confrontation : où sont les preuves ? Peut-on conclure à un complot international à partir du témoignage d’un officier et des noms qu’il rapporte ? Ou l’hypothèse d’une déstabilisation extérieure permet-elle surtout de faire oublier qu’une partie des forces armées nigériennes s’est retournée contre le pouvoir issu lui-même d’un coup d’État ?

Dans Décrypter l’Afrique, deux lectures frontalement opposées s’affrontent avec Wilfried Ekanga, militant politique, et Sadio Morel-Kanté, journaliste, chercheuse et chercheuse associée à l’IPSE : complot international contre le Niger ou récit politique destiné à masquer une crise interne ?

youtu.be
u/Bakyumu — 1 month ago
▲ 21 r/Africa

Egyptian TV presenter Sarah Khalifa sentenced to death in drugs case

> A court in Egypt has sentenced television presenter Sarah Khalifa and 11 other people to death by hanging after convicting them of drug charges.

> The Cairo criminal court issued the death sentences after the defendants were found guilty of forming an organised criminal gang specialising in procuring materials used in manufacturing narcotics, with the intent to traffic them, the state-linked Al-Ahram outlet reported on Saturday.

aljazeera.com
u/Bakyumu — 1 month ago
▲ 849 r/Africa

The undisputed champion of bath time: A tribute to the African net sponge

Growing up, every bathroom had at least two or three of these long, bright nylon nets hanging from a nail on the wall or draped over a bucket. They came in electric blue, neon pink, yellow, and green.

To anyone who grew up with them, there was nothing fancy about it. It was simply the only tool that made you feel completely clean after a long day in the heat and dust.

Even today, living here in Canada, I still use mine daily, just like countless other Africans in the diaspora who refuse to settle for a regular washcloth.

Before the synthetic net took over, people across the region relied on natural sponges made from dried luffa gourds, pounded tree bark, or plant vines.

The modern net trace its roots to coastal and river fishing communities in West Africa around the mid-twentieth century. Fishermen and market women began repurposing leftover pieces of nylon fishing nets for personal washing.

They quickly discovered that synthetic mesh was far tougher than plant sponges, lathered better, and most importantly, never rotted or developed mildew in humid tropical heat. Traders took note, and suppliers soon began manufacturing rolls of the woven mesh specifically for bath time, spreading it into every open-air market on the continent.

The design is pure practical genius. You hold one end in each hand, stretch it across your back, and you can scrub yourself from top to bottom without having to twist into awkward angles. It lathers up immediately with just a tiny sliver of soap, exfoliates effortlessly, and dries out in minutes. A single good net can easily last for years without tearing or losing its grip.

Across the continent, every country and language has its own name for it. In Ghana, it is known as sapo, while in Nigeria, it is called kese or kankan. In Niger, people call it soso or soson wanka in Hausa and Zarma. In Togo, Benin and even Mali it is widely known as kousso or koussa in Mina, Fon and Bambara. In Senegal it is known as foutah in Wolof. Throughout Francophone Africa, you will also simply hear it referred to as l'éponge africaine or l'éponge filet.

The funniest part of its story today is watching international social media discover it. Over the past few years, beauty influencers and lifestyle brands started marketing the "African Exfoliating Net" as a revolutionary skincare discovery, selling individual pieces online for twenty or thirty dollars.

For those of us who grew up buying a meter of net from a market basin or a street hawker for loose pocket change, the global hype is both hilarious and validating.

What color was the sponge in your house growing up, what do you call it in your language, and how long has your current one survived?

u/Bakyumu — 1 month ago
▲ 96 r/Africa

One man’s quest to end female genital mutilation (FGM) in Mali | UN Women – Headquarters

> After years of defending FGM as a cultural practice, Sidi Haidara came to a realization: No tradition should come at the expense of a girl’s health, rights, or future.

> In Mali, an estimated nine out of ten women and girls have undergone female genital mutilation (FGM). And for years, Sidi Haidara, a father and recognized leader in his community, believed the practice was simply part of life.

> Like many people in his community in central Mali, he saw it as a tradition passed down through generations – one that should be preserved.

> Today, he walks from village to village with a very different message: No tradition should come at the expense of a girl’s health, rights, or future.

unwomen.org
u/Bakyumu — 1 month ago
▲ 3 r/Africa

Understanding Sovereign Debt in Africa: Ratios, Global Comparisons, and Regional Realities

What is the Debt-to-GDP Ratio?

The debt-to-GDP ratio compares what a government owes to what its economy produces in a single year:

Debt-to-GDP Ratio = (Total Government Debt / Gross Domestic Product) x 100.

It is a standard gauge of debt sustainability, signaling whether a country generates enough economic output to manage and repay its obligations over time.

The continental average hovers around 60% to 65% of GDP. However, the distribution varies significantly depending on historical debt restructurings, conflict, and economic structure.

Top 5 Highest Debt Ratios in Africa:

  • Sudan: 188.0%

  • Eritrea: 164.0%

  • Senegal: 111.0%

  • Cape Verde: 105.0%

  • Republic of the Congo: 96.8%

Bottom 5 Lowest Debt Ratios in Africa

  • Burundi: 9.9%

  • Congo: 20.2%

  • Eswatini: 20.6%

  • Botswana: 25.6%

  • Comoros: 28.4%

On paper, Western nations carry far larger debt burdens than African countries:

  • Japan: ~255%

  • Italy: ~138%

  • United States: ~122%

  • Canada: ~114%

  • France: ~111%

  • African Average: ~60% - 65%

Despite having lower ratios, many African economies face acute debt distress while Western nations continue borrowing easily. The reasons come down to structural fundamentals:

  • Debt is repaid with revenue, not GDP: Western governments collect between 30% and 45% of their GDP in taxes. African governments, held back by large informal economies, average only 12% to 20%. A 60% debt load relative to GDP is far heavier when state revenues are limited.

  • Borrowing costs: Developed economies borrow at sovereign yields between 2% and 4.5%. African Eurobonds frequently price at 8% to 14%, compounding debt rapidly.

  • Debt servicing crowd-out: In several African nations, 30% to over 50% of annual government revenue goes solely toward paying interest. In Western budgets, interest costs rarely exceed 10% to 12%.

  • Currency risk: Western nations issue debt in currencies they control (USD, EUR, GBP, JPY). African countries borrow heavily in foreign currencies like USD and EUR. When local currencies depreciate, the cost of servicing external debt surges instantly.

Japan has the highest public debt in the world at roughly 255% of GDP, yet it faces neither a default crisis nor hyperinflation.

  • Domestic ownership: Around 85% to 90% of Japanese government bonds are held domestically by local banks, pension funds, and citizens, insulating the state from sudden foreign capital flight.

  • Central bank backing: The Bank of Japan owns more than 50% of all sovereign debt, effectively recycling interest payments back to the state budget.

  • Zero foreign exchange risk: Japan borrows entirely in its own currency, the yen.

  • World's top creditor: Japan has been the world's largest net external creditor nation for decades, holding trillions in overseas assets.

Since the military transitions in Mali (2020/2021), Burkina Faso (2022), and Niger (2023), debt-to-GDP ratios across the AES have remained stable, sitting below the 70% regional convergence ceiling:

  • Mali: ~51% - 54%

  • Burkina Faso: ~53%

  • Niger: ~48%

Despite temporary trade sanctions, cuts in Western budgetary assistance, and heavier defense allocations, debt ratios did not spiral out of control. Two main dynamics supported this stability:

  • Commodity support: Elevated global gold prices benefited Mali and Burkina Faso, while Niger's crude oil exports through the Niger-Benin pipeline expanded nominal GDP, lowering the debt ratio through a stronger denominator.

  • Market pivot: Cut off from certain concessional external funds, all three states turned toward domestic instruments and the regional UMOA-Titres bond market. While this contained headline debt, it raised local debt-servicing costs due to higher regional interest rates.

Here are few discussion points for the community:

  • Given that debt is repaid from public revenue rather than GDP, should African fiscal health be evaluated primarily through debt-to-revenue rather than debt-to-GDP?

  • How can African nations accelerate domestic capital market development to reduce reliance on foreign-denominated commercial debt?

Sources

  • Trading Economics: Government Debt to GDP (Africa dataset) https://tradingeconomics.com/country-list/government-debt-to-gdp?continent=africa

  • International Monetary Fund (IMF): World Economic Outlook and Sub-Saharan Africa Regional Economic Outlook databases

  • World Bank: International Debt Statistics (external debt stocks and debt service-to-revenue ratios)

  • BCEAO & UMOA-Titres: Public debt bulletins and WAEMU regional treasury market data

  • Bank of Japan & Ministry of Finance Japan: JGB distribution, debt management reports, and foreign asset data

  • Eichengreen, B., Hausmann, R., & Panizza, U. (2022). Yet it Endures: The Persistence of Original Sin. Open Economies Review, 34(1), 1–42. Cited by: 93

u/Bakyumu — 1 month ago
▲ 1 r/Niger

Niger: les États de la sous-région et la France soupçonnés d'avoir soutenu la mutinerie

> Au Niger, après la mutinerie des 28 et 29 août, présentée comme un « mouvement d'humeur » par les autorités, les militaires au pouvoir ont diffusé, mardi 2 septembre sur la télévision d'État, le témoignage d'un capitaine qui accuse la Côte d'Ivoire, le Bénin, la France mais aussi le Tchad, la Cédéao et des proches du président Mohamed Bazoum d’avoir soutenu cette tentative de déstabilisation. Les cadres de la junte, et plus particulièrement son chef, le général Abdourahamane Tiani, et les membres du gouvernement restent, eux, silencieux.

rfi.fr
u/Bakyumu — 1 month ago
▲ 12 r/Africa

Niger crisis: Déby responds to claims of foreign intervention plans

> Captain Roger Gabriel’s [of Niamey’s 1st Parachute Battalion] account of the attempted destabilisation of Niamey on 28 and 29 August has implicated alleged contacts and plans for intervention involving Chad, Benin, Côte d’Ivoire and France.

> These statements, which implicate several foreign countries and actors, were not accompanied, in the testimony broadcast by RTN, by evidence allowing the reported events to be independently verified.

> Following the broadcast of the televised interview, Chadian President Mahamat Idriss Déby Itno posted on his Facebook page verse 42 of Surah Al-Baqarah: “And do not mix the truth with falsehood or conceal the truth knowingly.” The Chadian head of state concluded his post with: “Allah the Almighty has spoken the truth.”

> Although he did not directly mention Niger, Captain Gabriel or the allegations involving Chadian officials, the post came immediately after the Nigerien officer’s testimony and could be interpreted as an indirect response to the allegations.

apanews.net
u/Bakyumu — 1 month ago
▲ 3 r/Africa

Senegal and IMF strike $2.2bn deal, two years after debt scandal froze funding

> Senegal and the International Monetary Fund have reached a staff-level agreement on a new $2.2 billion (€1.9 billion) lending programme, nearly two years after an earlier deal was suspended following the discovery of previously unreported public debt.

> Senegal’s total public-sector debt was estimated at 132 percent of gross domestic product at the end of 2024, making it one of the most heavily indebted countries in sub-Saharan Africa.

> There are, however, signs that the pressure is beginning to ease. The fiscal deficit fell from 13.4 percent of GDP in 2024 to 6.4 percent in 2025, largely as a result of tighter government spending, according to the IMF.

> Asked whether the new programme involved restructuring, Vera Martin said it included “debt treatment”, adding that Senegal had developed its own plan.

> [Finance Minister Cheikh Diba] stressed that the proposal was “not a restructuring in the traditional sense”, but an approach designed around Senegal’s specific circumstances.

rfi.fr
u/Bakyumu — 1 month ago
▲ 7 r/Africa

Mandatory Verification for Official Media Accounts & Upcoming Rule Updates

Hello everyone,

Effective immediately, we are introducing a mandatory verification requirement for any accounts representing official media outlets, journalistic platforms, or institutional publications posting on r/Africa.

Why We Are Implementing This

Over time, our community has grown into a primary space for thoughtful discussions on African politics, culture, economics, and history. To protect the integrity of the sub, we need to ensure transparency and trust in where our information comes from.

This policy is being put in place for a few specific reasons:

  • Preventing Impersonation: Ensuring that accounts posting under an established newsroom or brand name are genuine representatives, not impersonators or unauthorized third parties.
  • Accountability and Transparency: Knowing who is behind an official account helps the community assess reporting critically and holds organizations accountable to baseline journalistic standards.
  • Combating Spam and Link-Farming: Discouraging automated content dumping, clickbait farming, and low-effort self-promotion, while encouraging real engagement with our members.
  • Elevating Discussion Quality: Keeping the subreddit reliable, trustworthy, and focused on genuine, informed debate rather than opportunistic traffic generation.

How It Works

We do not have the final, verification procedure active just yet, but the full step-by-step process will be completed and officially announced soon.

In the meantime, if you represent a news outlet, media house, or publication and plan to post content on behalf of that brand, please reach out directly to the moderation team via Modmail before posting. We will coordinate with you directly while the formal system is being finalized.

Note: Regular community members sharing news links, articles, and personal commentary are completely unaffected by this change. This policy strictly applies to organizational and representative accounts.

Upcoming Rule Updates

Our subreddit rules and sidebar headers are currently undergoing an update. We are clarifying the language to remove ambiguity and formally codifying these media engagement guidelines into the official community rules.

If you have any questions or feedback, drop them in the comments below. If you represent an outlet, please contact us via Modmail.

- The r/Africa Mod Team.

reddit.com
u/Bakyumu — 1 month ago
▲ 69 r/Africa

1,640 km² of Cameroon handed to a European dynasty for trophy hunting.

Right now, Cameroon's Supreme Court is dealing with a legal fight between French billionaire Ariane de Rothschild and her former business partner, Pierre Guerrini over 1,640 square kilometers of public land.

To put that in perspective, that is bigger than London. The land was leased out so rich foreign tourists can pay 65,000 euros to shoot buffaloes and elephants for fun.

When the two partners had a fallout in late 2023, the local governor sent twenty armed state gendarmes to kick the partner out of the luxury camp. The regime essentially used national forces as personal security for a European banking dynasty.

Look at the double standard:

- Local and indigenous communities, like the Baka, have been pushed off their ancestral lands.

- If a local hunts a small animal to feed their family, they get treated like a criminal, beaten, or jailed.

- But if a wealthy foreigner pays a fortune to kill wild animals for entertainment, the state rolls out full protection.

Almost none of this money goes to regular Cameroonians. The safari profits go abroad, while the Rothschild firm works as a financial advisor to the Biya government on state debts.

Defenders always claim that trophy hunting funds conservation. In reality, it is a direct relic of the colonial concession system. African land is cordoned off, local people are criminalized on their own territory, and endangered fauna is commodified for the amusement of the global ultra-rich.

How does Cameroon, a so-called sovereign nation justify handing over 1,640 square kilometers of public land to foreign aristocrats to shoot wildlife for fun while its own citizens are shut out?

reddit.com
u/Bakyumu — 1 month ago
▲ 56 r/Africa

Russia’s Africa Corps emerges key actor as Niger repels coup attempt at base linked to 1,000 tonnes of uranium

> Niger requested assistance from Russia's Africa Corps after an attempted mutiny at a key military base in Niamey.

> The uprising involved Nigerien soldiers trying to confine comrades and opening fire at strategic sites in the capital.

> Nigerien forces regained control, and the incident highlighted the base's importance due to its uranium stockpile and location.

> The mutiny highlights Niger's rapid shift toward Russia for security support since the 2023 coup and expulsion of Western forces.

africa.businessinsider.com
u/Bakyumu — 2 months ago
▲ 11 r/AESAfrica+1 crossposts

Mouvement d'humeur à la base 101 de Niamey :  la situation est sous contrôle  - Agence Nigérienne de Presse

> Niamey, 29 Aout(ANP)- Dans la nuit du 28 au 29 août 2026, vers 00h20, un groupe de soldats en rupture avec le règlement militaire a entrepris de séquestrer certains de leurs camarades au sein de la caserne de la base 101 de Niamey et d’effectuer des tirs sur certains sites sensibles de la capitale, rapporte un communiqué du ministère de la Défense nationale lu à la télévision nationale.

> « La prompte réaction des forces de défense et de sécurité a permis de circonscrire ce mouvement d’humeur et de reprendre progressivement le contrôle de ces sites », assure le ministère de la défense qui invite « la population à garder son calme et à vaquer librement à ses occupations ».

> MAY/AS/ANP 0297 août 2026

anp.ne
u/Bakyumu — 2 months ago
▲ 21 r/Africa

Niger's military regime 'gradually regaining control' from mutinous soldiers

> In a statement read out on public television and signed by Defence Minister General Salifou Mody, the authorities called on the public to "remain calm and freely go about their business".

> Sustained gunfire and explosions rang out early Saturday across several areas of Niger's capital Niamey, including the airport and near the presidency, in an attack by mutinous soldiers. A West Africa-based security source told AFP the presidential guard continued to repel mutineers at the palace.

> Niger's defense ministry said that mutinous ‌soldiers ⁠from ‌a base ⁠in Niamey opened fire on "sensitive sites" ‌in the city, ‌confirming that an attack that lasted for hours was perpetrated by members of the armed forces.

f24.my
u/Bakyumu — 2 months ago
▲ 29 r/BlackProsperityForum+1 crossposts

Moving past the diaspora wars: Acknowledging our distinct paths while building mutual leverage

I am writing this after seeing yet another wave of toxic online discourse. Recently, I came across videos of African Americans claiming that Africans have no right to speak on issues concerning Black Americans. On the flip side, I have seen just as many videos of continental Africans denigrating African Americans, misrepresenting the culture, or looking down on the struggle here. Neither side is excusable, and watching brothers tear each other down for algorithmic engagement is exhausting.

The truth is that African Americans and continental Africans have evolved along completely different historical, social, and political paths. Black Americans have navigated the aftermath of chattel slavery, Jim Crow, institutional racism, and surviving as a racial minority within a Western superpower. Continental Africans have had to navigate the destructive legacy of colonialism, arbitrary borders, neocolonialism, and the complex challenge of nation-building as a majority population. Our daily environments, generational traumas, and cultural frameworks are naturally distinct.

Acknowledging those differences does not mean we cannot stand together or support one another.

We do not need an idealized, monolithic vision where we pretend our experiences are identical or that we will agree on everything. What we need is pragmatic, strategic collaboration. Listening and respecting each other's lived realities should always come first, but that does not mean we cannot offer constructive advice or critique. Often, an outside perspective brings clarity to blind spots we are simply too close to see. The goal is to offer that feedback in good faith to help solve problems, rather than using it to invalidate or talk over one another.

Global systems that devalue Black life rarely pause to distinguish between our specific origins. We share far more shared interest than division.

It is time to log off the petty diaspora wars, extend some basic grace and kindness to one another, and be smart about how we can build networks, share knowledge, and lift each other up globally.

reddit.com
u/Bakyumu — 2 months ago