Amnesty International on Wednesday sounded an alarm that the Special Criminal Court (SCC) of the Central African Republic (CAR), a hybrid tribunal established to prosecute war crimes and crimes against humanity, is facing an existential threat. Amnesty warned that the court is at “serious risk of closure” because of severe funding shortages. Amnesty International’s regional director [...]

Togo’s Ministry of Justice on Tuesday confirmed the extradition of former Burkinabè transitional president Lieutenant-Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba to Burkina Faso, following accusations of corruption, embezzlement, and involvement in attempted coups against the current regime of Captain Ibrahim Traoré. On January 12, the judicial authorities in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso’s capital, submitted a formal extradition request accompanied [...]

The Ghana Coalition of Unpaid Teachers, made up of College of Education and university graduates, on Monday issued an ultimatum to the government, threatening mass protests and legal action over unpaid salary arrears spanning between 12 and 15 months. The coalition, which represents over 1,000 educators, is also demanding the collection of staff identification numbers, [...]

At least 22 ethnic Teke civilians were killed in late November when militia fighters attacked a village in the western Democratic Republic of Congo, the latest episode of intercommunal violence that has plagued the region since 2022. The massacre in Nkana village—located in Kwamouth territory, Mai-Ndombe province, just some 75 kilometers northeast of the capital [...]

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) on Tuesday announced a state of emergency following a wave of coups and attempted coups that have destabilized several member countries of the regional bloc. The declaration was made during the 55th session of the ECOWAS Mediation and Security Council in Abuja, Nigeria, by the president of [...]

Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Tuesday urged the Nigerian authorities to take urgent measures to secure the release of victims of a recent mass school abduction. HRW denounced the mass abduction of hundreds of students and teachers in Nigeria’s northwest and central regions, describing them as deliberate attacks on education and fundamental rights. HRW’s Nigerian [...]

The French government on Wednesday launched formal proceedings to suspend access to the online platform of fast-fashion retailer Shein, following public outcry over the discovery of sex dolls with childlike features listed on its website. The move comes amid heightened scrutiny of e-commerce platforms and their content moderation practices. According to a statement from France’s [...]

The UN reproductive health agency UNFPA on Tuesday described women and girls across the Democratic Republic of the Congo as “one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises,” facing widespread insecurity, rising sexual violence, and severely disrupted life-saving services. Speaking to journalists at the Geneva UN Office after her visits to Kinshasa and Goma, UNFPA Director [...]

The Portugese parliament passed a controversial bill on Friday banning face coverings worn for gender or religious reasons in most public places. The legislation, proposed by the far-right Chega party, specifically targets Islamic garments such as the burqah, a full-body garment that covers a woman’s head to foot with a mesh screen for sight, and the [...]

Human Rights Watch on Wednesday condemned the excessive use of force by Moroccan security forces to disperse protesters, raising concerns over human rights violations during mass youth-led demonstrations demanding sweeping reforms to public services. The protests have been met with a heavy-handed response from authorities, leaving several protesters injured or dead, and hundreds detained. The [...]