West Africa

Westernmost region of the African continent

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West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo, as well as the United Kingdom Overseas Territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha. The population of West Africa is estimated at about 381 million people as of 2018, and at 381,981,000 as of 2017, of which 189,672,000 are female and 192,309,000 male.

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Mory Kante, Guinea music star and 'baobab of culture', dies at 70 Kante revolutionised West African repertoire by going electric and blending traditional Mandingo with urban grooves. Credit: Al Jazeera STUDIO Duration: 02:33Published 3 days ago

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Fake pharmaceutical industry thrives in West Africa Law enforcement agencies are battling to break foreign-linked criminal syndicates. BBC News - Published 2 days ago
Mali’s president urges dialogue after thousands protest BAMAKO, Mali (AP) — Malian President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita went on national television early Saturday, urging dialogue with his opponents just hours after thousands of anti-government protesters.. WorldNews - Published 5 days ago

40 killed in massacre of villagers in Mali Bamako, Mali—Unidentified armed men massacred 31 civilians in simultaneous attacks on several Mali villages this week, then killed nine soldiers responding to the assault as violence surges in the.. WorldNews - Published 2 weeks ago
Mahmoud Dicko: Mali imam challenges President Keïta Mahmoud Dicko is spearheading mass protests against the West African state's embattled president. BBC News - Published 3 weeks ago
Medical oxygen a luxury in much of the world When an Atlanta resident died from the coronavirus in his West African homeland of Guinea, many wondered if a lack of medical-grade oxygen was to blame. What's taken for granted in wealthy countries is.. USATODAY.com - Published 3 weeks ago

West African ministers propose phased re-opening of borders West African government ministers have proposed re-opening borders between their countries in the first half of July and allowing in travellers from other countries with low or controlled levels of.. Reuters - Published on June 17, 2020
Fact check: Yes, Kente cloths were historically worn by empire involved in West African slave trade Kente cloth is the most well-known African textile. It comes from the Asante kingdom of West Africa. And it was worn recently by members of Congress. USATODAY.com - Published on June 16, 2020
Mali says 24 soldiers killed in ambush on Sunday Gunmen killed 24 Malian soldiers in an ambush on their convoy in central Mali on Sunday, a spokesman for the west African nation's army said. Reuters - Published on June 15, 2020
Ghana’s health minister contracts COVID-19 Ghana’s president has announced that Health Minister Kwaku Agyemang-Manu has contracted COVID-19 and is undergoing treatment at a hospital. In a state broadcast on Sunday night, President Nana.. WorldNews - Published on June 15, 2020

U.N. says two peacekeepers killed in an attack on a convoy in Mali Two peacekeepers with United Nations (UN) forces in Mali were killed on Saturday in an attack on their convoy in the north of the west African nation, the U.N. mission in Mali said on Sunday. Reuters - Published on June 14, 2020
France launches Sahel coalition to fight rising jihadi violence France launched a coalition of West African and European allies on Friday to fight jihadi militants in the Sahel region, hoping more political cooperation and special forces troops would boost a.. Reuters - Published on June 12, 2020
How Ghana paid tribute to George Floyd The African-American is immortalised in the West African state where people were once enslaved. BBC News - Published on June 11, 2020	Amnesty says abuses rampant as West African armies target jihadists Soldiers in three West African countries unlawfully killed or caused the disappearance of at least 199 people between February and April during stepped-up operations against jihadist insurgents,.. Reuters - Published on June 10, 2020
Colony of little terns return to Seaton Carew beach Little terns winter in West Africa and migrate thousands of miles to nest in the UK. BBC News - Published on June 7, 2020	French forces kill al-Qaida's North African commander BAMAKO, Mali — French forces have killed Abdelmalek Droukdel, the leader of al-Qaida’s North Africa affiliate, the France’s defense minister announced late Friday, in what would be a major.. WorldNews - Published on June 6, 2020
How Global Cooperation Could Be Key to Containing the Coronavirus Six years ago, the U.S. corralled world leaders together to tackle the Ebola outbreak in West Africa. NYTimes.com - Published on June 5, 2020	Nigerian campaigners stage protest over sexual violence Nigerian rights campaigners took to the streets of the capital Abuja on Friday to raise awareness about sexual violence in the West African country after a series of high-profile rape cases. Reuters - Published on June 5, 2020
Senegalese tourism hot spot struggles without visitors Lionel Lopez grimaces as he looks at the stagnant green water in the bottom of the pool at his hotel in Senegal's Saloum Delta. He drained it after the global pandemic closed borders, bringing West.. Reuters - Published on May 27, 2020	Ivory Coast children head back to school after virus shutdown Thousands of children in face masks flocked back to school in Ivory Coast on Monday after the country became one of the first in West Africa to restart lessons after a two-month coronavirus shutdown. Reuters - Published on May 25, 2020
Togo keeps fearful watch on extremist threat from the Sahel In a makeshift bunker of sacks of rice beneath a tree, heavily-armed Togolese soldiers keep watch over villagers coming and going on foot or bike across the border with Burkina Faso. Only a dry river.. WorldNews - Published on May 21, 2020	WHO says very concerned at community spread of coronavirus in West Africa The World Health Organization is worried by the community spread of the new coronavirus in a significant number of West African countries, the regional head of the organization said on Thursday. Reuters - Published on April 30, 2020
Child labour still prevalent in West Africa cocoa sector despite industry efforts: report The use of child labour on cocoa farms in top producers Ivory Coast and Ghana has risen over the past decade despite industry promises to reduce it, according to a draft of a U.S. government-sponsored.. Reuters - Published on April 9, 2020	Northern Mali attack leaves 20 soldiers dead Shares Around 20 Malian soldiers were killed on Monday in an apparent jihadist attack, officials said, in the latest bout of violence to hit the war-torn West African state. Early Monday morning,.. WorldNews - Published on April 6, 2020
French army reports four soldiers positive for coronavirus in West Africa Four soldiers in West Africa have tested positive for coronavirus, French army said on Thursday. Reuters - Published on April 2, 2020	Togo-Declares-Three-Month-State-Of-Emergency-Over-Coronavirus A three-month “state of emergency” has been declared by President Faure Gnassingbe of Togo, just after the West-African nation announced that it has recorded 36 confirmed cases of Coronavirus and.. WorldNews - Published on April 2, 2020
Coronavirus comes to rescue of Sierra Leone's plundered rosewood The unpaved road leading to Sierra Leone's Outamba-Kilimi national park was busy last month with men loading rosewood logs into trucks for export to China, an illegal trade that has devastated some.. Reuters - Published on March 31, 2020	Mali votes despite virus, security fears Bamako: Malians headed to the polls on Sunday for a long-delayed parliamentary election just hours after the country recorded its first coronavirus death and with the leading opposition figure.. WorldNews - Published on March 29, 2020
Guinea voters back change that could extend president's rule CONAKRY, Guinea (AP) — Guinea has voted to change its constitution, according to provisional results from a referendum that could see the West African country's president remain in... WorldNews - Published on March 28, 2020	Violence flares in Guinea as voters cast ballots in contentious referendum Voters in the West African state of Guinea began casting their ballots on Sunday in a bitterly-disputed referendum that critics say is a ploy by President Alpha Conde to stay in power, and that was.. WorldNews - Published on March 22, 2020
Guineans heading to polls in historic constitution vote Conakry (AFP) - Voters in the West African state Guinea were being called to the polls on Sunday for a bitterly-disputed referendum that critics say is a ploy by President Alpha Conde to stay in power... WorldNews - Published on March 22, 2020	How the Ivorian president stunned West Africa by calling it quits Ivory Coast's President Alassane Ouattara confounds critics by announcing he will step down. BBC News - Published on March 18, 2020
West African Leaders Are Rolling Back Democratic Gains Taking a page from Vladimir Putin's playbook, undemocratic leaders in Guinea and Togo are seeking to extend their rule through ostensibly democratic means. ...... WorldNews - Published on March 17, 2020	A tiny army is fighting for 20 million lives. Can Mali's military grow fast enough? BAMAKO, Mali — At the heart of the world's fastest-growing Islamist insurgency, a national force of approximately 12,000 soldiers struggles to defend a population of 20 million. Malian troops are.. WorldNews - Published on March 11, 2020
Togo confirms first case of coronavirus The West African country of Togo has registered its first case of coronavirus, its government said on Friday. ...... WorldNews - Published on March 6, 2020Also reported by •Reuters	France summons Mali envoy in dispute over 'false' remarks about soldiers France on Thursday summoned Mali’s ambassador after dismissing as “false” and “unacceptable” his claims of rowdy behaviour by French soldiers helping the West African nation combat an Islamic.. France 24 - Published on February 28, 2020
Mali & France square off after French anti-terrorist troops accused of unruly behavior A Malian envoy to France has accused French troops that form part of a counterterrorism force in the country of rowdy behavior in its capital city. Paris has dismissed the allegations as "not only.. WorldNews - Published on February 28, 2020	Cinéma du desert: Mobile theatres aim to stem the migrant crisis through film Hundreds of people gather around a dusty square in Daloa, in the Ivory Coast, transfixed by films projected onto the side of a giant truck. It is part of the Cinéma du desert project, which aims to.. France 24 - Published on February 26, 2020
Legal loopholes allow endangered rosewood to be exported from Mali to China Kosso, an endangered type of rosewood that grows in West Africa, is under threat because of high demand in China, where its timber is used to make luxury furniture. The harvest and export of kosso wood.. France 24 - Published on February 24, 2020	Togo votes as Faure Gnassingbe seeks to extend dynasty's half-century rule Lome - Togolese citizens voted on Saturday in a presidential election expected to extend Faure Gnassingbe's 15 years in office, and his family's more than half a century in power. Many in the West.. WorldNews - Published on February 22, 2020
Nigeria asks U.S. to remove it from visa restriction list Nigeria asked the United States on Thursday to abandon new visa restrictions on the West African country set to take effect on Feb. 21. Reuters - Published on February 20, 2020	Togo protests hotbead in lockdown as vote looms When Togolese President Faure Gnassingbe took to the stage for an election rally in the city of Sokode this month, the crowd chanted the campaign’s popular catchphrase: “Knockout blow.” It was a.. WorldNews - Published on February 19, 2020
Mali violence: At least 30 killed in spate of violence The west African country has been blighted by ethnic and Islamist violence in recent years. BBC News - Published on February 15, 2020	'Ghost' human ancestor discovered in West Africa Mysterious archaic hominins may have interbred with early humans in West Africa, scientists say. BBC News - Published on February 14, 2020
'Ghost population' of ancient humans may have mated with ancestors of modern humans A new study found that genetic variation within West African populations is best explained by the presence of a new ancient human species altogether. USATODAY.com - Published on February 13, 2020	Malian president acknowledges talk with extremist leaders BAMAKO, Mali (AP) — Malian President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita has confirmed that his government is in contact with al-Qaida-linked extremist leaders as the West African country faces some of the worst.. WorldNews - Published on February 11, 2020
West African countries to investigate Nigeria border closure West African countries have agreed to conduct an investigation into the impact of Nigeria's decision last year to close off its land borders to trade, Nigeria's presidency said on Monday. Reuters - Published on February 10, 2020	Surge of violence threatens Cameroon's parliamentary vote YAOUNDE, Cameroon (AP) — A surge of violence in Cameroon's English-speaking regions threatens to derail the the West African nation's parliamentary election on Sunday, as militant separatists kidnap.. WorldNews - Published on February 9, 2020
West Africa: Meet the African-Americans returning to the continent Last year, to mark four centuries since the start of slavery, Ghana launched a project to encourage people of African descent from around the world to visit their motherland. As a result,.. France 24 - Published on February 6, 2020	United Arab Emirates gives Mauritania $2B for development DUBAI: The United Arab Emirates pledged Sunday to give $2 billion in aid to the Western African country of Mauritania, amid a... WorldNews - Published on February 2, 2020