Polygamy has declined in the last decade but remains common in West Africa. For example, 33% of women in Nigeria reported that their husbands have more than one wife (Demographic and Health Survey, 2013). Six West African countries have civil codes that formally prohibit polygamy (Benin, Cabo Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea and Nigeria) but legal restrictions are rarely enforced. Read on

Some 37 Fulani people were killed on 1 January 2019 in an armed raid on the Mopti region village Koulogon in central Mali. A second inter-community clash took place on the New Year’s Day in the village of Yirgou in central-northern Burkina Faso. 49 people were killed. Several thousand Burkinabé gathered on 12 January in Ouagadougou at a silent protest march against impunity and the stigmatisation of communities Read on

The official celebration ceremony took place on 10 January in the capital city of Burkina Faso at the International Conference Centre of Ouaga 2000. The group welcomed the presence of President Alassane Dramane Ouattara of Côte d’Ivoire, the current chair of the UEMOA’s Heads of State and Governments Conference. In terms of challenges, he highlighted the low rate of intra-community trade; the large number of border controls, delays and illegal imposed levies; the distortion of competition; and difficulties of some companies in gaining access to markets within the union. At the end of the ceremony, the two presidents inaugurated the new UEMOA administrative complex, located in Ouaga 2000. Read on

The number of women seeking divorces is increasing overall in West Africa. “Frustrated by their husbands’ inability to earn a living, and in a society where basic views on relationships have changed, women are asserting more control over their marriages,” explains Dionne Searcey, West Africa bureau chief for The New York Times. Her article offers a series of testimonies from women’s divorce cases. While divorce does not always have a positive outcome, it is a sign that women know their rights and are demanding respect and happiness in their marriages. Read on