• Relief in Nigeria. The 137 students kidnapped on March 7 by armed gangs in the northwest of the country and released on Sunday returned to their homes on Thursday after having received care and reunited with their loved ones. Nigeria, which is experiencing its worst economic crisis in 30 years, is facing a surge in kidnappings for ransom.

  • In Chad, ten presidential candidacies, including those of two fierce opponents of the ruling junta, were invalidated by the Constitutional Council. A decision which comes less than a month after the death of General Déby's main political rival, his own cousin Yaya Dillo Djérou, killed on February 28 by soldiers in the assault on his party headquarters.

  • Political tension rises in Togo after the adoption of a new constitution. On Monday, the National Assembly, dominated by the ruling party, validated the new text establishing a parliamentary and no longer presidential regime. The opposition fears that this change will leave the way clear for the extension of the mandate of President Faure Gnassingbé.

  • The road to CAN 2025 begins. The eight lowest placed selections in the Fifa rankings met in a preliminary round at the start of the week. South Sudan, Eswatini, Liberia and Chad won their double confrontation and obtained their ticket to participate in the qualifications. 

Senegal: how to explain the victory of Bassirou Diomaye Faye in the first round?

Supporters of Senegalese candidate Bassirou Diomaye Faye celebrate the first results showing him leading the presidential vote, in Dakar, Senegal, March 24, 2024. © Zohra Bensemra, Reuters

Even before the announcement of the official results, the government candidate Amadou Ba recognized, on Monday, his defeat against opponent Bassirou Diomaye Faye, who won in the first round of the Senegalese presidential election. How can we explain such success for the “anti-system” candidate? Decryption by David Rich.

In South Africa, former president Jacob Zuma excluded from the next elections

Former President Jacob Zuma will not be able to take part in the next elections in South Africa, the electoral commission ruled on Thursday. The former pillar of the ANC had created a surprise by becoming the head of the list of a new political formation dealing a blow to the historic party in power since the end of apartheid. 

10:06

In Ethiopia, hope of a new life for thousands of Sudanese refugees 

More than 1.6 million Sudanese refugees have fled their country since the start of the war in April 2023. 31,000 of them have found refuge in Ethiopia. On site, those who can most often go to Addis Ababa to reach the Middle East. In transit and without the protection of NGOs, they take the risk of applying for a visa which may never come and engage in lengthy procedures.

02:03

Bassirou Diomaye Faye president of Senegal: towards a real rupture

?

A claimed anti-system candidate, the youngest president in the history of Senegal wants to get out of the CFA Franc or even "rebalance" the country's relations with its foreign partners. Should we see this as a real break in the political history of Senegalese democracy? France 24 opens the debate with journalists Vincent Hugeux, Seidik Abba as well as Gilles Yabi, founder of the WATHI think tank.

25:38

THE DEBATE - DIOMAYE FAYE: TOWARDS A REAL BREAKUP? © FRANCE 24

In Tunisia, the authoritarian drift of power worries opponents

In Tunisia, political opponents have been imprisoned for more than a year and are awaiting trial. Defenders of freedom of expression and information are increasingly threatened. Since the constitutional coup by President Kaïs Saïed on July 25, 2021, the situation of political and individual freedoms has become worrying. Between combat and resignation, resistance to authoritarian drift is strewn with obstacles. Lilia Blaise's report.

05:47

Focus © France 24

An eight-year-old Malian child crosses the desert and the Mediterranean alone to “go to school” in Italy

Migrants on board the Ocean Viking, March 14, 2024. © SOS Méditerranée

An eight-year-old child traveled alone 7,000 km from Mali to Italy to continue his education. This winter, the boy crossed the desert, was imprisoned in Libya, took to the sea from a makeshift dinghy and was finally rescued in March in the Mediterranean by a humanitarian ship. Story by Leslie Carretero.

From Algeria to Cameroon, a tour of African gastronomy

Louise Dupont receives Carole Befolo, private chef for individuals or in ephemeral restaurants, who published the magazine "L'Africanisant" devoted to African gastronomy. Also guests on this show, chefs Anissa and Hanane Abdelli. Mother and daughter, they opened the restaurant “Mama Nissa” together in Paris. Their best recipes can be found in the book “Tastes of Algeria”.

13:42

On display ! ©France 24

In Senegal, the newspapers headline the victory of Bassirou Diomaye Faye

As of Monday morning, the provisional results suggested a large victory for opponent Bassirou Diomaye Faye during the presidential election. A new course widely commented on by the Senegalese press.

Presidential election in Senegal: while awaiting the official results, newspapers are reporting the victory of Bassirou Diomaye Faye © LauraMoussetDiallo

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