This week, ECOWAS announced a major initiative to reduce air transport taxes and fees across member states in an effort to drastically reduce the high cost of air travel within the sub-region. The decision, agreed at a regional transport ministerial conference in Abuja, is intended to improve trade, tourism, and regional integration, which are now hampered by some of the world’s highest flying costs. Certain costs, such as airport facility fees and security taxes, will be eliminated as a result of the relocation. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of Nigeria, the ECOWAS Chairman, highlighted that excessive costs are a barrier to economic growth and urged the commission to guarantee that the new, lower tariff structure is implemented as soon as possible before the end of Q1 2026.
Kenya hosted the seventh session of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-7) from December 9 to December 12 in its capital, Nairobi. The assembly, which is the world’s highest-level decision-making body on the environment, brought together thousands of delegates, including environment ministers, scientists, and civil society representatives. Key resolutions adopted focused on tackling global crises like plastic pollution, illegal mining, climate adaptation, and promoting sustainable infrastructure. UNEA-7 reaffirmed the vital role of multilateral cooperation in addressing planetary challenges, with particular emphasis on ensuring that environmental justice is prioritized in the Global South.
A coup attempt in the Republic of Benin was successfully foiled on Sunday by the loyal forces to President Patrice Talon, backed by military aid from neighboring Nigeria. Early on Sunday, eight soldiers claiming to be the Military Committee for Refoundation declared on state television that they had deposed Talon, prompting a swift response from loyal army forces, as well as air attacks and troop deployments from Nigeria. Later in the day, Interior Minister Alassane Seidou issued a statement claiming that Benin’s military forces had stopped the planned coup. Nigerian President Tinubu said that fighter jets and ground forces were deployed to Benin to help foil the coup attempt. According to his office, Nigeria’s military intervened when Talon’s administration requested two forms of assistance, including “immediate Nigerian air support.”
The Nigerian government secured the successful release of about 100 students, among the 303 students who had been held captive by armed groups, after they were abducted together with 12 of their teachers in a Catholic school in the Papri village of Niger State. On November 21. The students arrived at Niger State Government House in white buses guarded by a dozen military vans and armored vehicles. Nigerian President Bola Tinubu praised security officials “for their steadfast work” to ensure the safe return of the students. The kidnapping of the children in Niger State was one of several recent mass abductions in Nigeria, coming four days after 25 schoolgirls were snatched from the Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School in Maga, Kebbi State.
Senegal officially suspended all extraditions to France due to France’s refusal to return two Senegalese citizens. Justice Minister Yassine Fall stated that Senegal has provided justifications for their extradition but has not received cooperation from France. Consequently, Senegal will not extradite 12 individuals wanted by France until the situation is resolved. Fall emphasized that Senegal arrests individuals guilty of crimes, contrasting this with France’s treatment of those accused.
The Central African Republic plans to hold its presidential, parliamentary, regional, and municipal elections on December 28, whereby voters will head to the polls to elect their president, parliament, and local and municipal officials. The United Nations envoy for Central Africa told the UN Security Council on Thursday that the next vote might be a watershed moment for Bangui, which is struggling to emerge from decades of bloodshed and instability.
Armed gangs are still carrying out attacks across the country. According to the UN refugee agency, about 665,000 Central Africans will be refugees abroad by August 2025, with over 440,000 internally displaced.
Eritrea has withdrawn from the East African regional bloc IGAD, alleging the organization has become biased against it and strayed from its founding principles. The Eritrean foreign ministry criticized IGAD for failing to promote regional stability. This decision follows escalating tensions with neighboring Ethiopia, with IGAD noting Eritrea’s lack of involvement in its activities since rejoining in 2023. Eritrea previously exited IGAD in 2007 during a border dispute with Ethiopia, framing its recent withdrawal as necessary due to IGAD’s forfeiture of legal authority and failure to benefit its members.
Two four-story buildings collapsed in Fez, Morocco, overnight, resulting in 22 fatalities and 16 injuries. The buildings, home to eight families, were evacuated, and search efforts are ongoing. The cause of the collapse is still unknown, prompting an investigation. Built in 2006 as part of a “City Without Slums” initiative, the incident marks the second such tragedy in Fez this year, highlighting safety concerns in rapidly growing urban areas.
A Tunisian court sentenced opposition leader Abir Moussi to 12 years in prison, prompting claims of politically motivated repression under President Kais Saied’s rule. Moussi, leader of the Free Constitutional Party, has been in jail since 2023 after her arrest at the presidential palace, charged with assault intended to cause chaos, which she denies. Rights groups argue that Saied is intensifying his crackdown on dissent, reflected in recent lengthy prison sentences for other opposition figures. Critics assert that Saied has undermined judicial independence, especially since closing the elected parliament in 2021 and dissolving the Supreme Judicial Council in 2022, actions deemed a coup by opposition advocates, though Saied maintains he is combating treachery in Tunisia.
South Sudan deployed troops to safeguard the Heglig oil field, critical for its public revenues, following its takeover by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The troop deployment was jointly agreed upon by leaders from South Sudan and Sudan as a protective measure for the strategically significant area. Heglig plays a vital role in transporting oil to Port Sudan, essential for both countries’ economies, particularly as the ongoing conflict since April 2023 has disrupted oil exports from South Sudan, which previously averaged 100,000 to 150,000 barrels per day.
