NEWS

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Burkina Faso’s military ruler, Captain Ibrahim Traoré, stated in a televised interview that democracy "kills" and urged his citizens to "forget" the system. Traoré, who seized power in a coup three years ago, claimed that most Africans do not desire democracy and suggested Burkina Faso would pursue an unspecified alternative. Although he initially promised to return the country to democratic rule by July 2024, his administration, two months before this deadline, extended military rule for an additional five years.

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Kenya's Foreign Minister Musalia Mudavadi announced that Russia has agreed to stop deploying Kenyan nationals to fight in the war in Ukraine. The announcement followed talks in Moscow between Mudavadi and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. This agreement comes after a Kenyan intelligence report in February estimated that over 1,000 Kenyan citizens had been recruited to fight for Russia.

"I want to make it clear that we have now agreed that Kenyans shall not be enlisted through the [Russian] Ministry of Defence - they will no longer be eligible to be enlisted," Mudavadi said. "There will be no further enlisting."

Lavrov did not comment on the reported agreement but said that all Kenyans - and citizens of other countries - had enlisted voluntarily to fight for Russia "in full compliance with Russian law, which also provides for the possibility of early termination of the contract".

Some Kenyans have said they were lured to fight for Russia with promises of well-paid civilian jobs, only to find themselves forced into fighting in Ukraine,

Mudavadi is also seeking the repatriation of Kenyans who wish to return home.

He last month said that Kenyan authorities had closed more than 600 recruitment agencies suspected of duping Kenyans with promises of jobs overseas.

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Senegal has entered a new and highly contentious phase in its legal and social landscape following the signing of a stricter anti LGBT law by President Bassirou Diomaye Faye. The legislation significantly increases penalties for same sex relations, doubling the maximum prison term from five to ten years. It also introduces new provisions that criminalise what the government describes as the promotion of homosexuality.

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The Communications Regulatory Authority of Namibia (Cran) has rejected Starlink’s application for a satellite internet license. This decision marks the second major setback for the Elon Musk-owned company in southern Africa. While Cran did not provide a specific reason for the refusal, it pointed out that Starlink’s Namibian subsidiary lacks the required local ownership.

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Africa’s richest individuals significantly expanded their fortunes over the past year, with the continent’s billionaires collectively adding more than $20 billion to their wealth, according to the latest ranking released by Forbes.

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A Nigerian national, James Junior Aliyu, has been sentenced to 90 months in prison in the United States for his role in a large-scale wire fraud and money laundering conspiracy.

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Guinea has dissolved 40 political parties, including the country’s three main opposition groups, in a late-night government decree issued less than two months after Mamady Doumbouya was sworn in as president.

The decision was announced by the Ministry of Territorial Administration and Decentralisation, which said the parties were dissolved for “failure to fulfil their obligations”. The decree immediately stripped the affected parties of their legal status and control over their assets.