Former Nigerian petroleum minister Diezani Alison-Madueke on Monday denied bribery allegations in her ongoing trial at Southwark Crown Court in London, insisting she never solicited or received illicit payments while in office. Alison-Madueke faces five counts of accepting bribes and one of conspiracy to commit bribery. She was charged in 2013, with prosecutors alleging she [...]

Amnesty International on Monday urged Zimbabwean authorities to guarantee freedom of expression and safety during upcoming public hearings on proposed constitutional amendments. Speaking ahead of the public hearings on the Constitution of Zimbabwe Amendment (No 3) Bill, 2026, Vongai Chikwanda, Amnesty’s deputy regional director for east and southern Africa, said past incidents of violence and [...]

The United Nations warned Thursday that children in Palestine are facing a mounting mental health emergency amid escalating violence, displacement, and personal loss, with over one million children in Gaza now in urgent need of mental and psychological or social support. The crisis is compounded by rising risks, such as a resurgence of child marriage, [...]

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 [...]