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US Treasury removes General François Olenga from sanctions list after nine years The United States Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has officially removed retired four-star General François Olenga Tete and his Safari Beach complex from its sanctions list, ending a nine-year legal and diplomatic ordeal. In a September 23 notification, Olenga’s legal representative, Aimé Kilolo Musamba, confirmed the decision: “The US Treasury has formally notified me of OFAC’s decision to delist General François Olenga Tete and Safari Club.” The move follows a lengthy legal battle in Washington, during which Kilolo argued that the sanctions were not justified by evidence. “This marks the culmination of over nine years of relentless advocacy, multiple trips to Washingto...

How a hidden reformer reshaped African commerce through legal precision Few legal minds leave a legacy as enduring as their silent restructuring of economic frameworks. Bakari Traoré, an Ivorian jurist, economist, and corporate governance specialist, has spent 30 years methodically transforming West Africa’s business legal landscape—one statute at a time. Early diagnosis: outdated laws strangling regional commerce In the late 1990s, Traoré, then a rising scholar with dual doctorates in business and economic law, identified a glaring obstacle to regional economic growth. West Africa’s commercial laws—many dating back to 1867 and 1925, remnants of colonial rule—had become obsolete. His analysis caught the attention of key policymakers, sparking a reform movement that would eventually expa...

General Célestin Simporé, Burkina Faso's defence minister, appeared on national television to praise the security record of Captain Ibrahim Traoré. What he delivered instead was a confession wrapped in an explanation: the country's armed forces, he said, had always been "poorly trained". That statement, made on the RTB set, pushes responsibility for a worsening conflict onto the officers and soldiers of earlier years. It does not survive contact with the record — and it has left one question dominating public debate: how did the supposedly defective force of yesterday hold the line better than the "new army" that Moscow retrained and that billions of dollars re-equipped? The interview that rewrote recent history By repeating on the state channel that the armed forces lacked tactical ins...

Gabon has cut 1,473 state employees from its payroll for abandoning their posts, a decision taken after a sweeping accounting and biometric audit ordered by the country's transition authorities. The move frees more than 11 billion FCFA — around €16.7 million — every year. The payroll audit in figures The government chose to act firmly. More than 1,400 public workers have now been officially dismissed for deserting their jobs, the result of a far-reaching verification exercise aimed at cleaning up the files of the public administration. The operation targeted agents whose names still appeared in the system long after they stopped turning up. How the payroll leak worked For years, a string of individuals kept collecting a monthly salary without ever setting foot in an office. Their situati...

The Gabonese delegation takes center stage at the UN The Gabonese Republic arrives at the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York with a historic new role. Elected as vice president of the General Assembly in June, Libreville officially joins the UN Bureau, the organization’s key deliberative body, marking a significant milestone in its diplomatic engagement. Led by Foreign Minister Marie-Édith Tassyla-Ye-Doumbeneny, the Gabonese delegation carries the mandate of President Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema. This position elevates Gabon’s profile on the global stage while allowing Libreville to assert its priorities on critical international issues. Prior to the high-level debate, the Gabonese delegation convened at the country’s UN mission in New York to align its pos...

African Security Benin steers African security strategy with cross-border cooperation in New York During the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Benin chaired the 1,369th ministerial-level meeting of the African Union Peace and Security Council (PSC) on September 23, 2026. Led by Foreign Minister Corinne Amori Brunet, the session included key figures such as African Union Commission Chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf and AU Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security Bankole Adeoye. Focused on the theme "Good neighborliness and regional responses to security and terrorism challenges in Africa," the meeting brought together representatives from PSC member s...

Senegal president leaves assembly dissolution option open amid Sonko tensions Bassirou Diomaye Faye has not ruled out dissolving Senegal’s parliament, now led by his former ally Ousmane Sonko, as political tensions escalate. Speaking in New York, the president tied any potential move to the evolving relationship between Senegal’s institutions, with the government preparing to defend its budget measures before a legislature controlled by the Pastef party. Faye emphasized the constitutional prerogative at his disposal when asked whether he would dissolve the Assembly. "Why exclude an option granted by the constitution?" he responded. While no dissolution has been announced or an election date set, he suggested the decision would depend on "necessity and context," adding, "When the time com...

Society | Cameroon Cameroon’s youth dissect social media’s grip in unfiltered #PSE debate A candid discussion reveals how young Cameroonians navigate digital freedoms and pitfalls in 2026. In the latest episode of #PSE, a groundbreaking debate series, young Cameroonians took center stage to dissect the dual nature of social media in their lives. The conversation peeled back layers of opportunity, risk, and responsibility that define today’s digital landscape in the country. From entrepreneurs to influencers, participants shared firsthand accounts of how platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram have reshaped their aspirations, careers, and social interactions. For many, social media is a launchpad for innovation, education, and activism. It has enabled grassroots mov...

EconomyGabon’s poultry import ban: testing food sovereignty amid global trade rulesBy Editorial TeamSeptember 24, 202676No commentLibreville, September 24, 2026 — Gabon’s decision to ban poultry imports by January 1, 2027, has escalated into a high-stakes confrontation with Washington, raising fundamental questions about economic sovereignty, market protection, and food security. While the dispute focuses on chicken, the implications stretch far beyond trade statistics. As world leaders gather in New York for the 81st United Nations General Assembly, Gabon gains a global stage to frame its stance not just as a defense of local producers, but as a strategic move to reduce vulnerabilities tied to foreign dependence. The United States has formally challenged Gabon’s ban at the World Trade O...

Côte d'Ivoire champions debt-to-education model at UNICEF's New York summit During a two-day UNICEF high-level forum in New York, Ivory Coast’s Minister of Planning and Development, Dr. Souleymane Diarassouba, unveiled how the country is reimagining debt as a force for educational progress and technological innovation. The September 2026 sessions focused on sustainable financing for education and artificial intelligence in learning, where Ivory Coast shared its groundbreaking strategies to safeguard investments in human capital. AI-driven financing: Ivory Coast pioneers sustainable loan tied to learning outcomes On September 21, at the Learn AI Global Compact event under the theme “Responsible AI for every learner”, the Minister presented Ivory Coast’s pilot program linking debt to measur...

A security doctrine with an increasingly blurred line In Burkina Faso, the boundary separating the fight against armed extremism from restrictions on religious freedom has never looked thinner. Officially framed as a drive to eliminate the terrorist threat, the approach taken by the transitional government of Captain Ibrahim Traoré has translated into an unprecedented campaign of control and repression against the Muslim community — the country's largest faith group. Beyond official statements about national security, what is taking shape in Ouagadougou is a system of oversight imposed on the figures and institutions of Burkinabè Islam. Detentions, closures and forced enlistment For months, security language has served as a convenient justification for pursuing independent religious voice...