From the COP27 climate summit in Egypt to coups d’état in Burkina Faso and the French military withdrawal from Mali, FRANCE 24 takes a look at some of the news highlights from Africa this year.
The Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon
The year began with a bang on the continent with the 33rd edition of the Africa Cup of Nations (CAN), organised in Cameroon from January 9 to February 6. “It’s our own World Cup”, legendary Cameroonian footballer Roger Milla told FRANCE 24 in January.
The competition brought together 24 teams from all over the continent and ended with Senegal’s victory after a thrilling match against Egypt won on penalties. Three years after their failure during the final match in Cairo, the Lions of Teranga won their first-ever Africa Cup of Nations trophy.
Ivory Coast’s ex-president Compaoré sentenced to life
In a historic trial 34 years after the murder of Thomas Sankara, known as the “father of the revolution in Burkina Faso”, a military court in Ouagadougou sentenced former president Blaise Compaoré to life in prison on April 6. The tribunal found Compaoré, his former head of security and a commander of the army during the 1987 coup to be guilty of “complicity in assassination” and an “attack on state security”. All three received life sentences. Eight others received sentences ranging from three to 20 years in prison.
Exiled in Abidjan since his fall from power 2014, Compaoré did not attend the hearings. After the verdict, he responded with a message brought by a government delegation from Ivory Coast asking the Burkinabe people to forgive him for all the acts committed during his tenure, “and especially the family of my brother and friend, Thomas Sankara”.
Military coups, power struggles in Burkina Faso
Military leaders ousted Burkina Faso’s president Roch Marc Christian Kaboré in a coup on January 24. Lieutenant-Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba anointed himself president of the country while promising to pursue jihadist groups and restore constitutional order. But the security situation continued to deteriorate, creating tensions within the army. With several cities in the north besieged by armed Islamist groups, jihadists affiliated with al Qaeda attacked a humanitarian convoy bound for Djibo on September 27, killing 27 Burkinabe soldiers.
A new putsch led by Captain Ibrahim Traoré a few days later forced Damiba to flee to Togo. Named transitional president, in October Traoré appointed a government of 23 ministers, including three soldiers, to lead the country until the elections scheduled for July 2024.
William Ruto elected president of Kenya
On August 15, six days after the polls closed, Kenya’s electoral commission unveiled the name of the new president: William Ruto defeated Raila Odinga with 50.49% of the vote. Odinga, supported by several members of the electoral commission, contested the electoral victory, calling it a “parody”. But the Supreme Court eventually confirmed the vote. During his swearing-in, Ruto – who served as vice president under former president Uhuru Kenyatta – described the electoral process as an “exemplary democratic performance” and promised to work for the “economic well-being” of every Kenyan.
The end of French military operations in Mali
The last contingent of French soldiers present on Malian territory left the country on August 15, ending an almost decade-long military operation aimed at battling terrorism in the region. Responding to a request by the Malian government to help stop a jihadist advance on the capital Bamako, France first launched Operation Serval in January 2013. The mission later morphed into Operation Barkhane with a mission to fight disparate jihadist groups throughout the Sahel.
Relations between Mali and France rapidly deteriorated after Colonel Assimi Goïta seized power in an August 2020 coup, with Mali ejecting France’s ambassador and withdrawing from defence accords it had with former colonial ruler France. Paris responded by pushing for EU and ECOWAS sanctions against the country.
In February, Mali asked France to withdraw its troops “without delay”. Russian mercenaries from the Wagner Group subsequently arrived to assist the Malian army.
The Malian government accuses Paris of supporting terrorist groups, accusations France denies, and recently banned all aid groups funded by France on its soil.
The UN has warned of a significant increase in human rights violations against civilians across the country, saying there has been an “exponential rise” in deaths and abuses linked to the Malian army as well as “foreign military elements”.
Bloody repression in Chad
Several hundred people protested across Chad on October 22, responding to a call by opposition groups to denounce transitional president Mahamat Idriss Déby’s decision to stay in power by putting off a promised democratic transition by two years.
The protests turned deadly when authorities, accusing the demonstrators of an attempted insurrection, used lethal force. Prime Minister Saleh Kebzabo told a news conference that at least 50 people had been killed, including 10 police officers, and some 300 people injured. International organisations including the United Nations put the toll much higher, estimating that up to 150 people were killed.
The two main opposition leaders, Succès Masra and Max Loalngar, announced their request for the International Criminal Court to open an investigation into crimes against humanity in connection with the violence. In November, the government accepted in principle an international fact-finding mission aimed at shedding light on the tragedy.
Tigrayan rebels, Ethiopian government agree to peace pact
After two years of civil war between the Ethiopian government and Tigray rebels, the two parties agreed to a truce. Concluded on November 2 in Pretoria, South Africa, and monitored by the African Union, both parties agreed to the restoration of law and order, the return of basic services in Tigray and unimpeded humanitarian access to all in need, as well as “methodical” and “coordinated” disarmament.
Since then, the commander-in-chief of the Tigray rebel force announced that 65 percent of his forces had withdrawn from the front lines. The Ethiopian authorities reconnected the capital of Ethiopia’s Tigray region, Mekele, to the national power grid after more than a year of cuts caused by war. While the toll of the war is still unknown, the UN and other relief agencies say that more than 2.6 million Ethiopians have been displaced. In August, the UN warned that half of those in Tigray face “severe” food shortages.
Egypt hosted the 27th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP27) in November. It was the first time the international event dedicated to the fight against global warming was organised on the African continent, which has been severely affected by rising temperatures.
Particularly devastating floods caused the deaths of…
