African Cup of Nations in Cameroon
Senegal players celebrate their coronation at the 2021 African Cup of Nations, at the Olembe stadium, in Yaoundé (Cameroon), February 6, 2022. © Charly Triballeau, AFP
The year 2022 started with a bang on the continent with the 33rd edition of the African Cup of Nations football, organized in Cameroon from January 9 to February 6.
"It's our World Cup [to us, the Africans]", proudly affirmed Roger Milla, legend of Cameroonian football, on the antenna of France 24.
The competition, opposing twenty-four teams from the continent, ended with the coronation of Senegal after a thrilling match against Egypt won on penalties.
Three years after their failure in the final in Cairo, the Lions of Teranga reach the title of African champion for the first time in their history.
Blaise Compaoré sentenced to life imprisonment in the Sankara trial
Former President of Burkina Faso Blaise Compaoré leaves the presidential palace in Ouagadougou after a summit of former heads of state, July 8, 2022. © Olympia de Maismont, AFP
A historic trial.
Thirty-four years after the coup that cost the life of Thomas Sankara – the "father of the Burkinabè revolution" – the Ouagadougou military court delivered its verdict on April 6.
Thomas Sankara's successor to the presidency, Blaise Compaoré, as well as one of his generals and his security chief, have been found guilty of "complicity in assassination" and "attack on state security". .
All three were sentenced to life imprisonment.
Eight other defendants received sentences ranging from three to 20 years in prison.
In exile in Abidjan since his fall in 2014, Blaise Compaoré did not attend the hearings.
After the verdict, he expressed himself through a letter, read by the spokesperson for the Burkinabé government, asking his people to forgive him for all the acts committed during his twenty-seven years in power, "and more particularly to the family of my brother and friend Thomas Sankara".
Military coups in Burkina Faso
The head of the Burkina Faso junta, Captain Ibrahim Traoré, in Ouagadougou, October 15, 2022. © Olympia de Maismont, AFP
On January 24, the President of Burkina Faso, Roch Marc Christian Kaboré, was overthrown by the army in a coup d'etat.
Lieutenant-Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba takes power in this country threatened by the progression of jihadist groups: he makes the reconquest of the territory a priority and promises to restore constitutional order.
But on the ground, the security situation continues to deteriorate, causing tensions within the army
.
While several cities in the North are besieged by armed Islamist groups, a humanitarian convoy bound for Djibo is attacked by jihadists affiliated with Al-Qaeda on September 27, resulting in the death of 27 Burkinabe soldiers.
A few days later, Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba was overthrown during a new putsch orchestrated by Captain Ibrahim Traoré.
Having become "president of the transition", the latter appointed in October a government of 23 ministers, including three soldiers, to lead the country until the return to a constitutional order scheduled for July 2024.
William Ruto elected President of Kenya
Kenya's President-elect William Ruto at his home in Karen, on the outskirts of Nairobi, after his victory was upheld by the Supreme Court, September 5, 2022. © Monicah Mwangi, Reuters
A victory on the wire.
On August 15, six days after the end of the polls, Kenya's electoral commission finally unveiled the name of the new president.
With 50.49% of the vote, William Ruto won against his opponent Raila Odinga (48.85%).
A victory contested by the latter, who denounced a "parody", as well as by several members of the electoral commission, but finally confirmed by the Supreme Court of the country.
During his swearing-in, William Ruto, former vice-president of Uhuru Kenyatta, now head of state, describes the electoral process as an "exemplary democratic performance" and promises to work for the "economic well-being" of every Kenyan.
End clap for the French military operation in Mali
Soldiers from the Barkhane mission prepare to leave Mali on August 11, 2022. © French Armed Forces Staff, AFP
The last French soldiers from Barkhane still present in Mali left the country on August 15, ending a nine-year military operation aimed at eradicating terrorism in the region.
Intervened in 2013 at the request of the government of Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta to block the jihadist advance towards Bamako, Operation Serval was replaced in 2014 by Operation Barkhane, the aim of which was to fight jihadist groups throughout the Sahel. .
But relations between the two countries have seriously deteriorated with the seizure of power by Colonel Assimi Goïta, during the coup d'état of August 2020, and the arrival of Russian mercenaries from the Wagner group to assist the army.
The putschist government, which accuses Paris of supporting terrorist groups, recently banned all humanitarian activity funded by France on its soil.
For their part, the UN and the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) are warning of the sharp increase in abuses against civilians in the country.
Bloody repression in Chad
Protesters in Moundou, Chad, October 20, 2022. © Hyacinthe Ndolenodji via Reuters
On October 20, 2022, several hundred people demonstrated across the country, responding to the call of opposition groups to denounce the retention of Mahamat Idriss Déby in power and the decision to extend the democratic transition for two years.
Prohibited demonstrations repressed in blood by the authorities, who denounce an attempted insurrection.
The Prime Minister reported about fifty dead, including ten police officers, and 300 injured.
But several organizations evoke a much heavier toll, such as the UN, which estimates that up to 150 people could have been killed during these gatherings.
The two main opposition leaders, Succès Masra and Max Loalngar, have announced that they have asked the International Criminal Court (ICC) to open an investigation into crimes against humanity.
At the beginning of November, the government accepted the principle of an international fact-finding mission aimed at shedding light on the tragic events of October 20.
Peace agreement between the Tigrayan rebels and the Ethiopian government
Ethiopian government representative Redwan Hussein (second from left) and Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) representative Getachew Reda (second from right) sign the peace accord on November 2, 2022, in Pretoria, South Africa.
© Phill Magakoe, AFP
After two years of war between the Ethiopian power and the Tigray rebels, the two parties have agreed on a "cessation of hostilities".
Concluded on November 2 in Pretoria, South Africa, under the aegis of the African Union, the agreement provides for "restoration of public order, services (in Tigray), unimpeded access of humanitarian supplies" as well as "methodical" and "coordinated" disarmament.
Since then, the Tigrayans have announced that they have withdrawn 65% of their fighters from the front lines.
The authorities have announced that they have reconnected the region's capital, Mekele, to the electricity grid after more than a year of a war-induced cut.
While the exact toll of this war, which largely took place behind closed doors, is unknown, the UN estimates that it could have cost the lives of half a million people and left more than two million displaced.
COP27 in Egypt
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi during the COP27 climate conference, November 7, 2022, at the Sharm el-Sheikh International Convention Center, Egypt.
© Egyptian Presidency, AFP
Egypt hosted the 27th United Nations Climate Conference (COP27) from November 6 to 20.
This is the first time that this international event dedicated to the fight against global warming has been organized on the continent, which is already heavily affected by the consequences of rising temperatures.
In 2022, particularly devastating floods caused the death of several hundred people in Nigeria but also in Chad, Niger and South Africa.
After several years of difficult discussions, an agreement was finally reached at COP27 to compensate the most vulnerable countries for the damage they suffer.
The implementation of this mechanism should take place during COP28, which will take place in Dubai in November 2023. Qualified as historic, the agreement does not however display any new ambition concerning greenhouse gases, thus preventing act on the causes of climate change.
Return of Charles Blé Goudé to Ivory Coast
Ivorian politician Charles Blé Goudé celebrates his return to Yopougon, in the suburbs of Abidjan, on November 26, 2022. © Sia Kambou, AFP
After eleven years in exile, Charles Blé Goudé returned to Côte d'Ivoire on November 26, acclaimed by thousands of supporters.
The former youth minister of Laurent Gbagbo, considered at the time as a pillar of the regime, had been tried, alongside his former mentor, for the post-election violence of 2010-2011, which had caused some 3,000 dead in the country.
After six years of trial before the International Criminal Court, both were acquitted and then authorized by President Ouattara to return to their country to participate in the national reconciliation process.
Charles Blé Goudé has announced that he aims to stand as a candidate in the next presidential election of 2025. For his part, a few months after his return in June 2021, Laurent Gbagbo had launched a new movement, the African Peoples' Party - Côte d'Ivoire, also confirming his return to the political scene.
M23 massacres in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo
People fleeing fighting between government forces and M23 rebels head towards Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo, November 15, 2022. Moses Sawasawa, AP
The security crisis is worsening in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.
After more than ten years in exile, rebels claiming to belong to the M23, a mainly Tutsi armed group, relaunched their offensive in the east of the country in 2021.
This has accelerated since October, with fighters seizing large swaths of territory north of Goma, capital of North Kivu.
On November 29 and 30, the villages of Kishishe and Bambo were the scene of a massacre.
At least 131 civilians were killed there in reprisal actions, according to a preliminary UN investigation pointing the finger at the responsibility of the rebels.
In this crisis, the Congolese authorities denounce the role of Rwanda, which they accuse of supporting the M23.
A position shared by UN experts, the United States and now France, but rejected by Kigali.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa escapes impeachment
Cyril Ramaphosa (center) was reappointed head of the ANC in Johannesburg on December 19, 2022. © Phill Magake, AFP
On December 13, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa escaped the opening of impeachment proceedings thanks to the support of a large majority in Parliament.
Mired in a scandal for months, he is accused of having tried to conceal from the police and the tax authorities the theft in 2020 of large sums of cash hidden in one of his properties.
The former businessman, who has made the fight against corruption his hobbyhorse, was reappointed at the end of December, at the head of his party, the African National Congress (ANC), paving the way for him for a second term. of head of state in the 2024 elections. The police investigation aimed at identifying the origin of the money stolen from his home is continuing.
Political crisis in Tunisia
Tunisian demonstrators take part in a rally against President Kais Saied, called by the opposition National Salvation Front coalition, in the capital, Tunis, on December 10, 2022. © Fethi Belaid, AFP
Nearly a year and a half after President Kaïs Saïed's coup against the institutions, Tunisians were called to the polls on December 17 to elect their deputies.
The first round of this early election, supposed to consolidate the hyper-presidency of the Head of State, who dissolved Parliament and had a new Constitution adopted reducing the prerogatives of deputies, was marked by a historically low turnout of 11.22% , according to the electoral authority.
A snub for Kaïs Saïed, who intervenes even as he tries to negotiate a crucial loan with the IMF, to get his country out of a deep economic crisis.
For their part, several opposition parties who boycotted the elections are calling for the immediate departure of the president, believing that he has lost all credibility.
Morocco takes fourth place in the 2022 World Cup
Moroccan players celebrate their victory against Portugal (1-0) in the quarter-finals of the World Cup at Al-Thumama stadium in Doha, December 10, 2022. © Kirill Kudryavtsev, AFP
This is an unprecedented feat for an African or Arab team.
The Atlas Lions marked the history of the World Cup by reaching the semi-final of the prestigious tournament in Qatar.
Victorious in the quarters against Portugal (1-0) then eliminated by France (0-2), the Moroccan team secured fourth place.
A historic performance which earned the players a triumphant welcome on their return to Rabat, applauded by tens of thousands of supporters.
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