Burkina Faso's human rights situation sharply worsened in 2024, with rising violence from Islamist armed groups and abuses by the military and militias. Over 6,000 civilians died in conflict-related violence between January and August, and more than 2.3 million were displaced. The military Junta, which took power in 2022, intensified its crackdown on media, political [...]
Burkina Faso Population: 19 million Christians: 20 percent Dominant religion: Sunni Islam Persecution ranking: 20 When one thinks of innovation and advanced technology, one usually doesn’t think of West African countries that struggle with coups, unemployment, and economic instability. Burkina Faso has taken a huge step to break out of that mold this year. They [...]
Leah Sharibu, who Boko Haram kidnaped in February 2018 for refusing to renounce her Christian faith, marks the 7th anniversary of her captivity today (February 19, 2025). As of May 2024, she is 21 years old. Reports suggest she may have been forced into marriage and motherhood, but these claims lack verification. Her parents continue [...]
Leah Sharibu, who was kidnapped by Boko Haram in February 2018 for refusing to renounce her Christian faith, marks the 7th anniversary of her captivity today (February 19, 2025). As of May 2024, she is 21 years old. Reports suggest she may have been forced into marriage and motherhood, but these claims lack verification. Her [...]
Senegal - Trade between Senegal and The Gambia has been experiencing fluctuations due to various economic and logistical challenges. Factors such as border restrictions, tariff changes, and political tensions have impacted the flow of goods between the two neighboring countries. Despite their historical trade ties, instability in trade policies has created uncertainty for businesses and [...]
Nigeria Population: 181 million Christian Percentage: 50 percent Dominant Religion: Christianity Persecution Ranking: 6 Nigeria is a nation blessed with fertile land, an excellent network of rivers and six seaports on the Atlantic Coast. They also have an aggressive workforce that has the potential to make their nation powerful and prosperous. But they also have [...]
Security forces in Nigeria shot and killed 22 protesters for holding marches against the growing starvation rates. The government's measures to attract foreign investment triggered massive inflation in this oil-rich country. Despite their wealth from oil revenues, subsequent governments' failure to curb corruption, mass kidnappings, and terrorism have become key deterrents to a healthy economy [...]
Bola Tinubu won Nigeria’s February 25 presidential election. He was the candidate of Nigeria’s ruling party, the All-Progressive Congress. He was sworn in on May 29; however, his election was not without controversy. Some think that the judges dismissed objections to Tinubu’s lack of legitimate educational certificates and his [...]
Nigeria is experiencing a perfect storm. According to Google, a perfect storm exists when “a particularly bad or critical state of affairs, arising from a number of negative and unpredictable factors” exist. That definition perfectly describes what is occurring in Nigeria today. If not successfully addressed, it appears that [...]
Since the 1990s the West African regional body (15-nation bloc) ECOWAS has been unsuccessful in protecting democracies against the threat of coups. Its latest victim is Niger. Both the United States and France have sent forces and humanitarian aid to Niger, a former French colony. This latest coup ousted [...]
