Democracy & Peace

  • 28 Apr 2016

    Côte d’Ivoire: UN ends sanctions, plans withdrawal of peacekeepers

    Country: 
    Côte d'Ivoire
    Topics: 
    Democracy & Peace
    Security
    Body: 
    Citing progress in national reconciliation and social cohesion, the United Nations Security Council voted to end sanctions against Côte d'Ivoire and endorsed a plan for the withdrawal of the international peacekeeping mission. The 15-member Council also adopted resolution 2284 (2016) to renew the mandate of the UN Operation in Côte d'Ivoire (UNOCI) for a final period until the end of June 2017. Read on
  • 10 Apr 2016

    Chad: Idriss Deby could clinch a fifth presidential term

    Country: 
    Chad
    Topics: 
    Democracy & Peace
    Body: 
    The first round of the presidential election in Chad was held on Sunday, 10 April. Some 6.3 million voters were called to vote in the 18 000 polling stations across the territory, and for the first time, a biometric system was put in place for the identification of voters. Incumbent President Idriss Deby, candidate of the Patriotic Salvation Movement who has completed four consecutive terms since 1990, could be re-elected for a fifth term in the first round. Read on
  • 04 Apr 2016

    The death penalty in West Africa: Progress and setbacks

    Country: 
    Chad
    Nigeria
    Topics: 
    Democracy & Peace
    Body: 
    Amnesty International has released its Death Sentences and Executions report for 2015. The review of the situation in West Africa reveals notable differences in how countries in the region view the use of the death penalty both in law and in practice. Read on
  • 01 Apr 2016

    ECOWAS Mission in Guinea-Bissau ends mandate

    Country: 
    Guinea-Bissau
    Topics: 
    Democracy & Peace
    Security
    Members: 
    ECOWAS
    Body: 
    After four years of military presence in the smallest West African country, the 600-strong ECOWAS Mission in Guinea-Bissau (ECOMIB) will end its mandate on 30 June 2016. The ECOWAS Committee of Chiefs of Defense Staff (CCDS) gathered on 23 March in Abuja to conceive a comprehensive exit strategy Read on
  • 23 Mar 2016

    Niger election: persisting fragility

    Country: 
    Niger
    Topics: 
    Democracy & Peace
    Resilience
    Body: 
    After a controversial and unsurprising second round, the re-election of Mahamadou Issoufou to the presidency is confirmed; according to the provisional results, Mahamadou Issoufou gained 92.98% of the vote, with an estimated voter turnout of 59.79% (compared to 66.8% during the first round). The results of the first round gave the upper hand to the incumbent with 48.3% of the vote, well ahead of his competitor, Hama Amadou, a former National Assembly president currently hospitalised in Paris, who had obtained 17.7% of the vote. Read on
  • 20 Mar 2016

    Cape Verde: Opposition wins power after 15 years

    Country: 
    Cabo Verde
    Topics: 
    Democracy & Peace
    Body: 
    The peaceful democratic transition on the Cape Verdean islands is yet another positive example of the Island’s mature democracy. The centre-right Movement for Democracy (MpD), Cape Verde’s main opposition party, led by José Correia e Silva, mayor of the capital city Praia, gained an absolute majority in the 20 March parliamentary elections (53.5% of votes, 38 seats). Read on
  • 13 Mar 2016

    Islamist terrorism strike Côte d'Ivoire

    Country: 
    Côte d'Ivoire
    Topics: 
    Security
    Terrorism
    Democracy & Peace
    Members: 
    France
    Body: 
    Côte d'Ivoire has no longer been spared by the Islamist terrorism that exists globally. On 13 March, three armed assailants opened fire on a beach and in several hotels in the resort town of Grand-Bassam, about 40km from Abidjan, killing 19 people according to the most recent reports. The majority of the victims were of Ivorian nationality. The attack occurred in the tourist area of ​​Grand-Bassam, where many Abidjan residents, Ivorian and foreign, spend the weekends away. Read on
  • 06 Mar 2016

    Benin voters choose successor to President Boni Yayi

    Country: 
    Benin
    Topics: 
    Democracy & Peace
    Body: 
    Voters in Benin went to the polls to choose their next leader in an election that further solidifies the country's credentials as a vibrant and stable democracy. The choice was between 33 candidates vying to succeed President Boni Yayi, who is stepping down after serving the maximum two terms in office. Read on
  • 26 Jan 2016

    Nigerians are "better together"

    Country: 
    Nigeria
    Topics: 
    Culture & Society
    Democracy & Peace
    Security
    Opinion: 
    Opinion
    Body: 
    Journalist and communications consultant Tolu Ogunlesi writes about the re-emergence of secessionist movements in southeast Nigeria in an opinion peace for the New York Times. The 1960s Nigerian civil war put an end to the short-lived independent state of Biafra, but many in the southeast continue to feel neglected by the federal government. Ogunlesi argues that activists should work within the system to achieve their aims. Read on
  • 29 Dec 2015

    Roch Marc Christian Kaboré sworn in as president

    Country: 
    Burkina Faso
    Topics: 
    Democracy & Peace
    Body: 

    Precisely one month after his election on 29 November, Roch Marc Christian Kaboré was formally sworn in as President of Burkina Faso. A large number of West African heads of state (Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea, Mali, Niger, Senegal and Togo) attended his inauguration at the Sports Palace at Ouagadougou 2000. In his statement, President Kaboré expressed his profound gratitude to the people of Burkina Faso who actively contributed to the successful transition toward democracy. "It is the victory of the Burkinabe and African youth who revolted against obscurantism and oppression. Read on

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