Democracy & Peace

  • 18 Jan 2017

    Briefing on West Africa’s political challenges

    Country: 
    Gambia
    Nigeria
    Topics: 
    Democracy & Peace
    Security
    Body: 
    On 13 January 2017 in New York, Mohamed Ibn Chambas, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS), briefed the UN Security Council on West Africa’s status. Even though Ibn Chambas welcomes the region’s progress on democracy, where most of the recent elections have taken place without irregularities, he expressed concern about the political crisis in The Gambia. Read on
  • 18 Jan 2017

    Hollande’s last Africa-France summit

    Country: 
    Mali
    Topics: 
    Democracy & Peace
    Development co-operation
    Economy
    Employment
    Members: 
    France
    Body: 
    The 27th Africa-France Summit was held on 13-14 January 2017 in Bamako. The summit’s two main themes were: “Peace and Security” and “Emergence, Economy and Development.” François Hollande’s choice to hold the summit in Mali allowed recalling some of his greatest foreign policy achievements. Indeed, it is in Mali that President Hollande launched Operation Serval on 11 January 2013 to counter the jihadist insurgency in the northern part of the country. Read on
  • 16 Jan 2017

    Timeline to monitor the security situation

    Country: 
    Burkina Faso
    Côte d'Ivoire
    Guinea
    Mali
    Niger
    Senegal
    Topics: 
    Democracy & Peace
    Regional integration
    Security
    Terrorism
    Members: 
    Luxembourg
    Body: 
    With the financial support of the Luxembourg Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Group for Research and Information on Peace and Security (GRIP) just released an interactive timeline that allows the viewer to retrace and recall the region’s major peace and security events since 2011.You can easily create your own journey and discover information by country (Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea, Mali, Niger and Senegal) or at the regional level. Read on
  • 09 Jan 2017

    Ghana: a smooth transfer of power

    Country: 
    Ghana
    Topics: 
    Democracy & Peace
    Economy
    Body: 
    Opposition leader Nana Akufo-Addo won Ghana’s presidential election on 9 December 2016 with 53.85% of the vote against incumbent President John Dramani Mahama who won 44.40% of the vote. The voter turnout was 68.62%. It was Akufo-Addo’s third time running for president in Ghana. “Ghana is open for business again,” was one of the newly elected president’s key messages. Indeed, President Akufo-Addo won the election with his promise of “Change: an Agenda for Jobs - Creating Prosperity & Equal Opportunity for All.” Read on
  • 09 Jan 2017

    ECOWAS upholds Gambia election results

    Country: 
    Gambia
    Guinea-Bissau
    Mali
    Topics: 
    Democracy & Peace
    Regional integration
    Members: 
    ECOWAS
    Body: 
    The 50th Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Heads of State and Government was held in Abuja on 17 December 2016 to take stock of West Africa’s regional integration process. The security situation and the worrying political situation in The Gambia and Guinea-Bissau topped the agenda. ECOWAS leaders agreed to uphold the 1 December 2016 Gambian election results and to guarantee the safety and protection of the President-elect Adama Barrow who is supposed to be sworn in on 19 January 2017. Read on
  • 21 Nov 2016

    Mali: Low voter turnout and protests

    Country: 
    Mali
    Topics: 
    Democracy & Peace
    Sahara-Sahel
    Security
    Body: 
    Millions of Malians cast their ballots on 20 November 2016 to elect some 12 000 councillors across in the long-delayed municipal elections, which have been pushed back four times over the last two years. Only 640 of Mali’s 703 communes were able to hold elections, and they were marked by low voter turnout, protests and some incidents of violence. Read on
  • 31 Oct 2016

    Using the media for regional integration

    Topics: 
    Culture & Society
    Democracy & Peace
    Education
    Regional integration
    Members: 
    ECOWAS
    Body: 
    The ECOWAS Commission is about to launch a television channel and a radio station in every country in the region that will broadcast programs promoting regional integration. These programs will focus on subjects that the Commission believes are powerful engines for regional development, in particular, on science, technology and innovation. Read on
  • 18 Oct 2016

    UEMOA creates a human rights network

    Topics: 
    Culture & Society
    Democracy & Peace
    Children & Youth
    Members: 
    UEMOA
    Body: 
    On 6 October in Abidjan, the representatives of national human rights institutions of UEMOA member countries decided organise themselves into a network. The move will create a framework for discussion and exchange on all issues linked to the promotion and protection of human rights within the UEMOA region. The network will look at themes such as: the respect for human rights, access to justice, education and issues related to migration and refugees. Read on
  • 06 Oct 2016

    Preserving religious tolerance in Burkina Faso

    Country: 
    Burkina Faso
    Topics: 
    Culture & Society
    Democracy & Peace
    Body: 
    This recent report from the International Crisis Group, which is part of a series on the theme of religion, state and society, explores Burkina Faso’s model of religious coexistence. It shows that religious tolerance in the country remains strong despite the recent emergence of some tensions in a regional context characterised by shifts in religious behavior and the rise of violence in the name of religion. The report makes recommendations for Burkina Faso’s political and religious authorities, in order to preserve this model of peaceful coexistence. Read on
  • 06 Oct 2016

    The changing character of African armed forces

    Topics: 
    Democracy & Peace
    Security
    Terrorism
    Members: 
    France
    Body: 
    A symposium organised from 5-6 October by the Strategic Research Institute of the Military Academy (IRSEM) in Paris, addressed the many challenges that African armies face. Contrary to popular belief, "their budgets are very small, their sizes have been reduced and the people are not invested in the armed forces," said Sonia Le Gouriellec, the co-organizer of the symposium. About 85% of African countries have been affected by coups, and almost every African country has experienced military rule. Read on

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