Joelle Drechsler

Frexit: Ivory Coast Expels French Troops Amid Regional Push For Local Empowerment Over Foreign Influence

Last week, Ivory Coast followed other West African states in officially expelling hundreds of French troops from its territory, publicly denouncing France’s persisting influence as a former colonizer throughout the region. Thus, dismissing French troops from January 2025 onward is a powerful statement that Ivory Coast has made, and interestingly

Joelle Drechsler January 7, 2025

Unseen Victims: Boat With Dozens Of Refugees Capsizes Near Morocco’s Coast, Highlighting The Need For Immediate Action

On 19 December 2024, a refugee boat carrying approximately 80 people sank near Morocco’s coast while attempting to reach Spain from North Africa. The tragedy claimed the lives of at least 69 people, with only 11 survivors. Every year, thousands of Africans risk the dangerous journey across the Atlantic Ocean,

Joelle Drechsler December 27, 2024

Urgent Plea For Action As Deadly Attacks Intensify And Civilian Casualties Rise In Sudan’s Overlooked Civil War

On December 9, a heavy airstrike caused tremendous bloodshed at a busy market in Kabkabiya, a town located in the west of the Sudanese city El-Fasher, killing at least 100 people, including women and children. Worrisomely, this disastrous attack is part of a larger power struggle between the governmental Sudanese

Joelle Drechsler December 23, 2024

‘Smoke Them Out’: South Africa’s Crackdown On Illegal Mining Escalates As Hundreds Of Illegal Miners Remain Trapped In Abandoned Mine

Since early November, hundreds of illegal artisanal miners have been hiding in a 2.5-kilometre-deep mine in Stilfontein, about 145 kilometres southwest of Johannesburg, as South Africa intensifies its crackdown on illegal mining activities. The police have fully surrounded the site, threatening to detain anyone attempting to emerge. However, for most

Joelle Drechsler November 25, 2024

Spiral Into Destabilization And Unrest? Mozambique’s Post-Election Violence Escalates Amid Allegations Of Electoral Fraud

On 9 October 2024, Mozambique held its highly anticipated general elections, during which citizens voted for a new president, 250 parliamentary representatives, and members of 10 provincial assemblies. Despite growing tensions in the pre-election environment between the main competing parties, namely the ruling Frelimo (Front for the Liberation of Mozambique),

Joelle Drechsler November 22, 2024

Ghanaian Presidential Elections: Stakes And Challenges

As Ghana approaches its presidential and legislative elections on 7 December 2024, with incumbent president Nana Akufo-Addo of the New Patriotic Party (N.P.P.) in the final months of his second term, citizens will elect a new president from the 13 candidates approved by Ghana’s Electoral Commission (E.C.) along with 275