THE TRUTH ABOUT: 39 - The Untold Story

Guinea junta agrees with bloc to hold vote in early 2025

West African regional mediators have reached a deal with Guinea's military leader to organize new elections by January 2025

The Independent UK · Oct 22, 2022

‘Life can end suddenly here’: Inside Bakhmut, the city being bombed to ruins by Russia’s forces

The Wagner Group has fought on behalf of the Kremlin in a range of arenas including Syria, Libya, central Africa and, most recently, in the Sahel, where its soldiers replaced French forces in Mali, Kim Sengupta reports

The Independent UK · Oct 22, 2022

Mali's foreign minister accuses France of 'espionage and destabilising acts' at UN

Mali's foreign affairs minister says the military government will exercise its right to self-defence if France "continues to undermine'" the country's sovereignty and national security.

Radio France Internationale · Oct 19, 2022

Tiny Parasite Withers West Africa’s Cotton Harvest Outlook

A tiny green grasshopper-shaped parasite has infested cotton crops across West Africa and slashed output forecasts for the 2022/23 season, industry representatives said. The insects known as jassids settle under cotton leaves and feed on plant tissue, injecting a toxin that causes leaves to curl downwards and stunts reproductive capacity.…

Asharq Al-Awsat · Oct 14, 2022

Islamist militants in Mali kill hundreds, displace thousands in eastern advance

Islamist militants have advanced further into eastern Mali in recent days, seizing territory, killing hundreds of civilians and forcing thousands to flee, regional Malian officials and analysts said.

Reuters · Oct 14, 2022

Inside the French effort to counter Russian mercenaries in Africa

"We’re competing with a Russian effort to expel France and the West from Africa.”

Axios · Oct 13, 2022

Mali's draft constitution marks major shift towards presidential regime

Mali's proposed new constitution will shift the balance of executive power from the parliament towards the president. Junta leader Colonel Assimi Goita received a draft of the proposed constitution this week. The document, which is a key part of the military's bid to retain power until 2024, has not been…

Radio France Internationale · Oct 13, 2022

Heart Issue Forces Brighton Player Enock Mwepu to Retire

Brighton midfielder Enock Mwepu has retired from soccer at the age of 24 because of a hereditary heart condition, the Premier League club said Monday. Mwepu became ill last month on a flight to join the Zambia national team squad in Mali and was treated in a hospital there. He…

Asharq Al-Awsat · Oct 10, 2022

France loses economic grip on West Africa

France is under fire in parts of West Africa for its alleged "stranglehold" on the continent's economy. Anti-French sentiment in Mali has spread to Burkina Faso where opinion leaders accuse the former colonial power of profiteering. In fact, the French economic presence is in decline.

Radio France Internationale · Oct 9, 2022

U.S. accuses Russia of exploiting Africa resources to fund Ukraine war

The United States accused Russian mercenaries on Thursday of exploiting natural resources in the Central African Republic, Mali, Sudan and elsewhere to help fund Moscow's war in Ukraine, a charge Russia rejected as "anti-Russian rage."

Reuters · Oct 6, 2022