Welcome to our weekly roundup of top African stories from 22–27 January, 2024.
Last week, we responded to the attacks and killings in Nigeria’s Plateau State, the country’s out-of-school children challenge, and some court rulings. We also reacted to the suppression of human rights in Senegal and Burkina Faso, and Liberia’s move to renew its ‘lost hope’.
Plateau Killings and Urgent Need for Comprehensive Response
It seemed as though the Nigerian government had abandoned the people of Plateau State to their fate as attacks and killings in parts of the state continued. We called on President Bola Tinubu to take urgent action by strengthening the capacity of the country’s security forces to deal with those behind the attacks. Read more
Out-of-School Children in Nigeria: What Minister, Governors Must Do
As the world marked the 2024 International Day of Education, it was another stark reminder of the fact that Nigeria continues to face significant challenges in its basic education system. We called on the National Assembly to review the conditions for accessing intervention grants as provided for in the Universal Basic Education Act 2004. We also called on the Minister of Education to strengthen the mechanisms for monitoring and evaluating the impact of the UBEC funding to ensure transparency, accountability, and effective use of resources. Read more
FCT ‘One Chance’: Wike Should Revive Mass Transit System, Not Ban Unpainted Taxis
Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, announced a move to bar unpainted taxis and buses from Nigeria’s capital due to the activities of ‘one chance’ criminals. We, however, believe that the planned move would not be the appropriate response to the problem as the criminals also use registered vehicles to carry out their acts. We reminded the minister of his promise to revive mass transportation for residents as a measure to tackle the menace. Read more
Supreme Court Rulings: Fubara, Aliyu, Kefas Must Now Focus on Promises
The Supreme Court of Nigeria upheld the elections of the governors of Rivers, Taraba, and Sokoto states. We then urged the governors to now focus on fulfilling their campaign promises to their people. Read more
Senegal: Pre-Election Crackdown Unacceptable; President Must Fulfil Promise
Authorities in Senegal were cracking down on the opposition, media, and civil society ahead of the country’s February 25 general election. We called on the government to guarantee the rights to freedom of expression, association, and peaceful assembly. Read more
Missing Activist: Burkina Faso Must Respect Human Rights Obligation
An activist, Daouda Diallo, who is the Secretary-General of the Collective Against Impunity and Community Stigmatisation (CISC), remained missing following his abduction by security agents in December 2023. We called on the Burkina Faso government to ensure human rights are respected in the country by facilitating the safe return of Diallo. Read more
Liberia: Time for Country to Renew ‘Lost Hope’
Liberia’s Joseph Boakai was sworn in as the 26th president of Liberia, and a critical question for us was: what next We reminded Liberians to continuously follow up on all the promises President Boakai made during his election campaign and at the inaugural ceremony and hold him accountable. Read more
Ethiopia: New Media Law Must Be Respected
Ethiopia is now one of the worst places for a journalist to work, a worrisome trend the government needs to urgently address. We demanded that the new media proclamation adopted in 2021 be fully enforced to guarantee the freedom of journalists to carry out their lawful duties. Read more
Zambia: Cholera Crisis Demands Urgent Government Intervention
The people of Zambia are still being confronted with the crisis arising from the cholera outbreak in the country and are in dire need of support. In addition to the Africa CDC intervention, we called on the government of Zambia to focus on creating long-term investments in sanitation infrastructure to ensure a successful cholera prevention and control strategy. Read more
Sudan: Journalists, Other Civilians Need Protection
The Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) intensified their targeting of journalists covering the eight-month war that has killed many and displaced thousands more. We called on the authorities in the country to ensure the unconditional release of El Midan’s Editor-in-Chief, Haisam Dafallah, and other journalists unjustly detained for carrying out their duties. Read more
That is the roundup of some stories that made headlines last week. More headlines are available on Development Diaries.
Photo source: Arise News
