The article reports that Bissau-Guinea’s president, Umaro Sissoco Embaló, a few weeks before his mandate was to end in February 2025, unilaterally announced a postponement of the presidential election to November 2025 — while simultaneously declaring his candidacy. This decision follows a series of controversial moves, including the dissolution of Parliament in 2023 and the postponement of legislative elections initially expected in 2024 — developments that further weaken Guinea-Bissau’s democratic framework. By delaying elections and controlling state institutions, Embaló appears to be attempting to consolidate his hold on power and sideline the opposition. Meanwhile, the population — already burdened by persistent poverty, underdevelopment, and fragile public services — suffers, and political instability deters foreign investment and slows down needed economic, social, and institutional reforms. The article calls for free, transparent, and credible elections in November 2025, as crucial to rebuild trust in institutions and pave the way for lasting political stability in Guinea-Bissau.

Politics, Governance, Democracy, Election, Coup d'État, Instabilité

The report describes a structured child-trafficking system moving children from Guinea-Bissau to Senegal, where they are forced to beg under the guise of religious education. Historically, talibés travelled to Senegal to study the Qur’an, supported by community almsgiving. However, since the 1970s, poverty, drought, and urban migration have turned this tradition into widespread exploitation. Marabouts now recruit children from vulnerable families—often through deception—and smuggle them across porous borders. Once in Senegal, children live in overcrowded, unsafe shelters and must deliver daily quotas of money. Forced begging has become a profitable criminal activity, linked to money laundering through the cashew and charcoal trade. While Senegal and Guinea-Bissau have ratified international conventions and adopted anti-trafficking laws, enforcement remains weak due to limited resources, strong cultural tolerance, and well-organized trafficking networks.

Security, Poverty, Human Rights, Vulnerability, Insécurité, Enfant, Trafic

The article “Le droit à la santé en Côte d’Ivoire” analyzes the evolution of the country’s health system between 2017 and 2023. Significant progress has been made in expanding health infrastructure, training personnel and strengthening political commitment. However, financing remains inadequate: only 6% of the national budget is allocated to health, far below the WHO recommendation of 15%. Heavy dependence on international partners creates fragility and undermines sustainability. Territorial inequalities persist, with rural regions facing shortages of doctors, medical supplies, and functional facilities. The Universal Health Coverage (CMU) initiative represents progress, but its implementation is still limited. Vulnerable groups—women, children, people with disabilities, and survivors of gender-based violence—face the greatest barriers. The report calls for stronger public investment, improved governance, better territorial equity, and enhanced mechanisms for addressing gender-based violence.

Governance, Inequality, Santé publique, Funding

The article “Strengthened governance to boost responsible investment in agriculture and food systems” explains how Liberia and Sierra Leone are working to improve the quality and effectiveness of agricultural investments, which are vital for reducing poverty and hunger. The COVID-19 pandemic intensified vulnerabilities, increasing the need for substantial agricultural funding to achieve the first two SDGs. Ensuring that investments generate positive social, economic, and environmental impacts is crucial. The FAO supports governments, civil society, and private-sector actors in applying the CFS-RAI Principles, improving governance mechanisms, harmonizing policies, reforming crop compensation systems, and establishing multi-stakeholder platforms for inclusive decision-making. The initiatives include capacity building for local actors, aligning screening tools for investment approval, and fostering a shared national vision for responsible agricultural development. The goal is to create better-coordinated, more transparent, and more equitable investment environments.

Governance, Agriculture, Food security, Funding

Dr. Olakounlé Gilles Yabi’s article warns of a deep moral and institutional decline threatening West Africa and the wider African continent. Since 2020, constitutional manipulation, third-term bids and military coups have multiplied, revealing the normalization of political cynicism. Examples include Alpha Condé in Guinea, Alassane Ouattara in Côte d’Ivoire, and, more recently, Mamadi Doumbouya’s candidacy despite previous pledges. Across countries such as Guinea, Côte d’Ivoire, Cameroon, Tanzania, Benin, Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso, electoral manipulation, repression, forced disappearances and media intimidation have become routine strategies to entrench power. In the Sahel, military regimes embrace what the author describes as “sovereign suicide,” sacrificing governance, social cohesion and basic services under the banner of sovereignty. Populations face escalating violence, economic collapse, displacement and school closures. Meanwhile, global powers continue extracting mineral resources, indifferent to local chaos. Yabi urges African leaders and civil societies to confront the continent’s extreme vulnerabilities before an irreversible loss of control occurs.

Politics, Sovereignty, Governance, Crisis, Coup d'État

Africa is experiencing a historic surge in forced displacement, with 45.7 million people uprooted, representing 3% of the continent’s population . Conflict is the main driver, as 96% of displaced populations originate from countries affected by armed violence. Sudan has become the epicenter, recording 14.4 million forcibly displaced people, including 10 million internally displaced—the highest figure worldwide. Regional conflicts increasingly overlap: 8 of the 11 African countries hosting the most refugees are themselves in conflict, highlighting the interconnected crises of the Sahel, the Horn of Africa, and the Lake Chad Basin. Burkina Faso accounts for one of the largest internal displacement crises. Some fragile improvements appear in Ethiopia and the DRC due to returns in partially stabilized regions. Meanwhile, natural disasters—mainly floods—have increased forced displacement by 33%, adding 5.6 million new victims and compounding the vulnerability of populations already affected by conflict.

Natural ressources, Security, Conflict, Political Violence, Human security, Violence, Threat, Civil Society, Crisis, Déplacement forcé

The article outlines findings from the ENACT Africa Organised Crime Index 2023, highlighting rising illicit activity and growing vulnerabilities across Africa. It emphasizes that Guinea-Bissau has become a key hub for arms and cocaine trafficking, acting both as a source and transit country. Light weapons — often concentrated in the capital and border areas — flow through Guinea-Bissau into conflict zones in the Sahel and West Africa. Meanwhile, the country serves as a major transshipment point for South American cocaine destined for European markets. These illicit flows empower criminal and extremist groups, weaken institutional capacity, and increase the risk of violence and instability. The article warns of the urgent need for improved regional coordination and strengthened state resilience to tackle organized crime.

Governance, Security, Vulnerability, Institution, Trafic de drogue

This policy brief examines why The Gambia, despite being ranked among Africa’s safest countries, remains vulnerable to violent extremism. Regional insecurity—especially Mali’s crisis, Sahelian instability, and porous borders—creates significant exposure risks. Internal vulnerabilities amplify these threats: growing religious radicalization within some madrasa systems, the influence of reformist preachers, rising sectarian tensions, and severe youth unemployment. The brief stresses the need for a multisectoral approach combining security reform, stronger governance, regulation of religious education, community mediation, youth engagement, and empowerment of women and local leaders. Efforts led by the Gambian government, ECOWAS, civil society, and youth organizations—such as security sector reform, counterterrorism strategies, peace education initiatives, and the Youth, Peace and Security Action Plan—highlight progress. However, coordination remains weak, institutions operate in silos, and rural communities face structural marginalization and limited state presence, which heighten their vulnerability to radicalization and extremist narratives. Strengthening resilience requires sustained, integrated, and community-centered interventions.

Governance, Security, Youth, Extremism, Vulnerability, Violence, Radicalisation

The article “Education for Citizenship and Curricular Contextualization in Guinea-Bissau” explores how citizenship education can help build an inclusive, democratic society in Guinea-Bissau. The authors argue that beyond mere school access — which remains insufficient — the curriculum must be consciously structured around three core axes: the individual, the relational and the community. Through these dimensions, education should foster values, attitudes, and behaviors that uphold human rights, peace, gender equality, development education, environmental preservation, health education, and media literacy. The goal is to shape informed, responsible citizens capable of actively participating in communal life. The article also highlights the potential of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) to support these aims. In short, education should go beyond access: it becomes a tool for social inclusion and curricular justice.

Culture, Governance, Education