Topic: West Africa
Top galleries, list articles, quizzes
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10 best books of March, according to Amazon's editors
Amazon editorial director Sara Nelson talks about the 10 new releases she's calling the best books of March.
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5 invasive species now in retreat
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In Pictures: Space photos of the day: Looking deeper
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In Pictures: Space photos of the day: Currents
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Orange Prize for fiction 2011 shortlist
All Content
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Christians retaliate after three more churches bombed in Nigeria
More than 10 churches have been attacked in 2012 alone, with an Islamist militant group often claiming responsibility. On Sunday, some Christians launched deadly reprisals.
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Is Liberia turning into a haven for militant groups - again?
Human Rights Watch issues report saying Liberia is failing to control rebel groups launching raids into neighboring Cote D'Ivoire. Liberia rejects the charges.
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Change Agent Versatile engines power up rural African villages
Multifunction platforms (MFPs), engines powered by diesel or local vegetable oil, can do everything from turning on the lights to milling grain and powering tools.
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Change Agent Nigerian banker urges a businesslike approach to poverty in Africa
Tony Elumelu, who has become one of Africa’s most prominent philanthropists, calls his idea 'Africacapitalism' – an African-run effort that uses business concepts to fight poverty.
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Consumer Energy Report Blessing and a curse: countries struggle with oil resources
Where drilling used to be in established areas, like Texas, Saudi Arabia, and Russia, it is now moving offshore, leaving some to wonder whether the institutional capacities of these countries and regions are sufficient to avoid the resource curse.
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Rebel alliances strengthen in Mali's north, rattling neighboring countries
The northern two-thirds of Mali is now under control of Tuareg and Islamist rebels who want to redraw national boundaries and export revolution. Displaced minorities tell of brutality.
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Opinion: My final phone call with warlord Charles Taylor
Former president of Liberia Charles Taylor called me regularly in the early 1990s when I was the director of Voice of America's English-to-Africa broadcasts. I'll never forget one strange phone call from him. Unfortunately, my hunch about Taylor's connection to Sierra Leone would prove correct.
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Keep Calm West African group backs off intervention in Mali mess
ECOWAS had warned of a possible military intervention, but at a meeting in the Malian capital of Bamako, they accepted an interim president chosen by military coup leaders.
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Keep Calm West African bloc prepares to send troops into Mali and Guinea-Bissau
Two separate military coups in Mali and Guinea-Bissau threaten the stability of the region. But will an intervention by ECOWAS actually resolve these conflicts or just complicate them?
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Modern Parenthood Charles Taylor: An Amerian mom's relief at war crimes conviction
Charles Taylor: His conviction of war crimes in Sierra Leone is a moment for pause for an American mom to think about the world between diapers and carpools and playdates.
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In Monrovia, Charles Taylor's wife awaits his verdict
Charles Taylor, the former Liberian leader accused of 11 counts of war crimes, will learn his fate tomorrow in what is seen as a milestone moment for international justice.
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Africa Monitor Cote d'Ivoire's commitment to democratic principles questioned
Residents of areas hit hardest by the 2010 post-election violence are demanding redress and accountability. President Ouattara must commit to justice and reconciliation, writes a guest blogger.
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Opinion: US must seek conservative Muslims as allies in fight against Boko Haram terror
Boko Haram, the north Nigerian extremist group, has recently escalated its terror campaign with a string of deadly strikes against government and civilian targets. To combat the rising threat, the West must embrace conservative Muslims in the region as potential allies.
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Keep Calm Mali coup leaders pledge to hand over power as Tuareg rebels take Timbuktu
Disarray following a March 21 coup has allowed Tuareg rebels to take over much of Mali's north. West African neighbors worry about spillover.
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Look who's saving the world: BRICS pump up foreign aid
The so-called BRICS — Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa — are upping their foreign assistance by leaps and bounds at a time when traditional donors’ aid budgets are frozen.
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Keep Calm Senegal's president concedes defeat, a welcome step in region of coups
After winning court permission to run for a third term, overriding a constitutional ban, President Abdoulaye Wade steps aside – breaking a pattern of Senegalese leaders overstaying their welcome.
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Keep Calm Outgunned against rebels, Mali soldiers overthrow government
After a string of defeats against better armed Tuareg rebels, Mali's army staged a mutiny and overthrew the government.
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Clean water: scarcity and abundance
A Christian Science perspective: On World Water Day, some spiritual insights on the supply of a basic human need: clean water.
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Elections may go to runoff in Senegal, West Africa's stablest democracy (+video)
Initial results suggest that Senegal's President Wade may be forced to go for a runoff against his own protege, Macky Sall. Observers appealed for peaceful elections.
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Did Qaddafi downfall prompt Mali's Tuareg revolt?
Mali's military has been training to take on Al Qaeda insurgents, but the latest revolt by Mali's nomadic Tuareg people seems inspired by an influx of former Qaddafi fighters and arms.
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Nigeria's new police chief vows crackdown on corruption
Nigeria's acting inspector general Alhaji Muhammad Abubakar admits that Nigerian police have committed extrajudicial killings and run criminal rackets. That will change, he says.
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Sanctions on Iran: Iranians face shortages of rice, corn, and cooking oil
US and European sanctions are preventing Iran from buying enough rice, cooking oil, and other staples, say commodities traders. Prices for food are rising in Iran.
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Africa Monitor Sahel Blog: Tuareg rebellion in Mali's north sparks protests in South
Guest blogger Alex Thurston says the anger follows setbacks for Mali's Army at hand of well-armed Tuareg rebels. Could we see citizen backlash against ethnic Tuaregs?
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Africa Monitor Africa's single currency, the CFA Franc, in a Post-euro Future
The single-currency zone, stretching from Senegal to the Central African Republic, links eight countries and 123 million people. Will it survive if the Euro crashes?
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Opinion: Nigeria's Boko Haram attacks are misunderstood as regional Islamist threat
Concern is growing that the Boko Haram militant group in Nigeria is linked to Al Qaeda and Al Shabaab as part of a coordinated Islamist terrorist threat in Africa. But most often, the reasons for the group's attacks are local.
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