Thirteen people were killed in western Niger after armed men on motorbikes raided three villages near the Malian border. An AFP source close to one of the village chiefs stated that the assailants “encircled the villages” and killed people who tried to flee. The attackers also stole animals, looted a
A recent Kenyan investigation ruled that an officer is to blame for the death of 9-year-old Stephanie Moraa, who was killed during 2017 post-election violence. Moraa died after being hit in the chest by a stray bullet after police fired shots to disperse protestors the day after election results were
On June 6th, Mexico will elect 500 lawmakers, 15 governors, and more than 20,000 local officials in a historic midterm election. Over the last six months, violence has plagued many of the politicians and civil servants involved. According to the risk analysis consulting firm Etellekt, there were 151 acts of
Last week, Niger held a presidential election that began its first democratic transition of power since 1960. This transition is thanks to incumbent President Mahamadou Issoufou respecting the constitutional term limit he has fulfilled, a regard increasingly forgone in many countries according to the International Crisis Group. In deciding to
After serving nearly three years behind bars, women’s rights activist Loujain al-Hathloul was recently released from Saudi prison on a suspended sentence. al-Hathloul was imprisoned after calling for male guardianship laws to end, for women to legally be able to drive, and for communication with foreign diplomats, international media, and
In February 2020, former President Trump signed an agreement with Taliban leaders in Afghanistan. The agreement, commonly referred to as the Doha accord, stipulates that all American troops be removed from Afghanistan by this May if the Taliban cuts ties with al-Qaeda, engages in peace talks with the Afghan government,
Just a day before President Biden’s inauguration, the U.S. officially designated Houthi rebels in Yemen as foreign terrorists. Classifying Houthi rebels as foreign terrorists will restrict trade and humanitarian support to Houthi rebels. Aid groups have expressed concern that the identification will disrupt much-needed aid from reaching Yemenis. These fears
Bobi Wine, the leader of Uganda’s National Unity Platform (N.U.P.) party, said Ugandan troops raided N.U.P. headquarters on January 18th as staff prepared a petition to challenge President Yoweri Museveni’s declared election win that week. In a recent Twitter post, Wine explained that “heavily armed military and police have once
Seven poll workers were killed during Niger’s presidential vote when their vehicle struck a landmine in the western region of Tillaberi, an election official said. The Tillaberi region is comprised of Niger, Burkina Faso, and Mali land. The tragedy occurred as Niger held a presidential election runoff between frontrunner Mohamed
On January 15th, the United States Department of Defense announced that military personnel in Afghanistan have been downsized to 2,500 soldiers, America’s lowest military presence in the country since 2001. This reduction completes a goal Donald Trump set after signing an agreement with the Taliban in February 2020. The agreement
On Monday, January 11th, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps seized a South Korean tanker owned by Taikun Shipping Co. Ltd. and detained its crew. In response, South Korea is sending a delegation to Iran. According to Iranian state news agencies, the South Korean ship was detained because it was polluting the
