Jessica Donati

FILE- Children play on a water pump in an internally displaced camp in Gaoa, Burkina Faso, April 22, 2021. More than half of the displaced by growing violence between Islamic extremists and security forces are children, and many are traumatized by their experiences. But mental health services in the West African country are limited, and children are often overlooked for treatment.(AP Photo/Sam Mednick, File)

In Burkina Faso, a growing number of children are traumatized by war

June 5, 2024 at 6:06 a.m.

DAKAR, Senegal — When armed men entered Safi’s village in northern Burkina Faso and began firing, she hid in her home with her four children. The gunmen found them and let them...

Rebecca Higbee, la madre de Tyler Thompson, con una foto de su hijo y un amigo de éste, Marcel, el 30 de mayo de 2024 en West Jordan, Utah. Tyler Thompson es al parecer uno de los estadounidenses arrestados en el Congo acusados de participar en un intento golpista. (Foto AP /Rick Bowmer)

EEUU dice que Congo no le ha dado a estadounidenses detenidos tras intento golpista

June 3, 2024 at 2:02 p.m.

DAKAR, Senegal — La embajada de Estados Unidos en la República Democrática del Congo indicó el lunes que las autoridades congoleñas no le han dado detalles ni a los estadounidenses arrestados...

FILE - Rebecca Higbee the mother of Tyler Thompson, points to her son and his friend Marcel during his 21st birthday with his family on Thursday, May 30, 2024, in West Jordan, Utah. A U.S. embassy spokesperson in Congo said Monday, June 3, 2024 that Congolese authorities had not shared details or provided access to any Americans that were arrested following a coup attempt in the country last month, following calls last week from one family trying to confirm whether their son is still alive. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, File)

U.S. says Congo hasn’t given it access to Americans detained over alleged roles in coup attempt

June 3, 2024 at 12:48 p.m.

DAKAR, Senegal — The U.S. Embassy in Congo said Monday that Congolese authorities have not shared details or provided access to the Americans who were arrested following a coup attempt last month,...

FILE- Miners extract mud they hope contains gold at a gold mining site at which adults and youth work in the village of Mawero, on the outskirts of Busia town, in eastern Uganda on Oct. 18, 2021. Billons of dollars worth of gold is smuggled out of Africa each year, according to a report published Thursday, of which most ends up in the United Arab Emirates where it is refined and sold on to the rest of the world. Over $30 billion worth of gold, or more than 435 tonnes, was smuggled out of Africa in 2022, according to the report published by Swissaid, an aid and development group based in Switzerland. (AP Photo/Nicholas Bamulanzeki, File)

Tens of billions of dollars in gold flows illegally out of Africa each year, a new report says

May 30, 2024 at 6:01 p.m.

DAKAR, Senegal — Billons of dollars in gold is smuggled out of Africa each year and most of it ends up in the United Arab Emirates, where it is refined and sold...

Chadian President Mahamat Deby Itno participates in his inauguration ceremony in N'djamena, Chad, Thursday, May 23, 2024. Deby Itno was elected May 6, 2024, in a long delayed presidential election that is set to end three years of military rule. (AP Photo/Mouta )

Chad swears in president after disputed election, ending years of military rule

May 24, 2024 at 8:21 a.m.

DAKAR, Senegal — Chad swore in Mahamat Deby Itno as the president on Thursday after holding elections earlier this month, completing a disputed transition to democratic rule after he seized power three...

In this 2018 photograph released by Mouvement pour le Salut de l'Azawad, Islamic State group commander Abu Huzeifa, known by the alias Higgo, poses in uniform. Mali's army said in a statement late Monday, April 29, 2024, that Huzeifa was killed by Malian state forces. The United States had announced a reward of up to $5 million reward for anyone providing information about him. Huzeifa was believed to have helped carry out an attack in 2017 on U.S. and Nigerien forces in Tongo Tongo, Niger, which led to the deaths of four Americans and four Nigerien soldiers. (AP Photo)

Armed groups besieging towns in northeastern Mali driving residents, many children, to hunger

May 1, 2024 at 5:26 p.m.

BAMAKO, Mali — A humanitarian crisis is worsening in northeastern Mali where armed groups linked to Islamic State have besieged major towns leaving residents including some 80,000 children vulnerable to malnutrition, locals...

En esta imagen de archivo, un soldado aplaude la toma de posesión del líder de la junta militar, el teniente coronel Paul Henri Sandaogo Damiba, que fue emitida por la televisora nacional, el 16 de febrero de 2022, en Uagadugí, Burkina Faso. (AP Foto/Sophie Garcia, archivo)

Burkina Faso suspende a BBC y Voice of America por reportar asesinatos masivos

April 26, 2024 at 6:09 p.m.

DAKAR, Senegal — Burkina Faso suspendió las emisoras de radio de BBC y Voice of America por su cobertura de un reporte de Human Rights Watch acerca del asesinato masivo de civiles...

FILE - A soldier applauds the presidential inauguration of Junta leader Lt. Col. Paul Henri Sandaogo Damiba during his swearing-in ceremony broadcast on national television on Wednesday, Feb. 16, 2022 in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. Burkina Faso suspended the BBC and Voice of America radio stations for their coverage of a report by Human Rights Watch on the mass killing of civilians carried out by the country's armed forces. According to the report published by Human Rights Watch on Thursday, April 25, 2024, the army killed some 223 civilians, including 56 children, in villages accused of cooperating with militants. (AP Photo/Sophie Garcia, File)

Burkina Faso suspends BBC and Voice of America after they covered a report on mass killings

April 26, 2024 at 3:15 p.m.

DAKAR, Senegal — Burkina Faso suspended the BBC and Voice of America radio stations for their coverage of a report by Human Rights Watch on a mass killing of civilians carried out...

El ejercito de Burkina Faso masacro a mas de 200 civiles en pueblos, segun Human Rights Watch

April 25, 2024 at 5:25 a.m.

DAKAR, Senegal — Las fuerzas armadas de Burkina Faso mataron a 223 civiles, incluidos bebés y muchos niños, en ataques sobre dos pueblos acusados de cooperar con milicianos, según denunció Human Rights...

FILE - A mural is seen, March 1, 2023, in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. Military forces in Burkina Faso killed 223 civilians, including babies and many children, in attacks on two villages accused of cooperating with militants, Human Rights Watch said in a report published Thursday, April 24, 2024. (AP Photo, File)

Burkina Faso’s army massacred over 200 civilians in a village raid, Human Rights Watch says

April 25, 2024 at 9:29 p.m.

DAKAR, Senegal — Military forces in Burkina Faso killed 223 civilians, including babies and many children, in attacks on two villages accused of cooperating with militants, Human Rights Watch said in a...

In this photo released by The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, shows officials burning seized drugs in Niamey, Niger, Monday, June 26, 2023. Drug seizures soared in the West African Sahel region according to figures released Friday April 19, 2024 in a new U.N. report, indicating the conflict-ridden region is becoming an influential route for drug trafficking. In 2022, 1,466 kilograms, [3,232 pounds], of cocaine were seized in Mali, Chad, Burkina Faso and Niger compared to an average of 13 kilograms [28.7 pounds] between 2013 and 2020 , said the report from the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime. (UNODC via AP)

The US attempts a new military deal with Niger in a last ditch effort to stay

April 19, 2024 at 4:44 p.m.

DAKAR, Senegal — The United States is attempting to create a new military agreement with Niger that would allow it to remain in the country, weeks after the junta said its presence...

Llegan entrenadores militares rusos a Niger, en medio de deterioradas relaciones con EEUU

April 12, 2024 at 12:41 p.m.

DAKAR, Senegal — Entrenadores militares rusos han llegado a Níger abordo de un avión con equipos militares para incrementar sus defensas aéreas en medio de deterioradas relaciones entre el país africano y...

FILE - ers of Niger's ruling junta, gather for a protest called to fight for the country's freedom and push back against foreign interference, in Niamey, Niger, Aug. 3, 2023. A top Pentagon official says that the U.S. has not received a formal request from Niger's junta to depart the country, saying instead it has received mixed signals on whether the hundreds of U.S. troops based there are no longer welcome. (AP Photo/Sam Mednick, File)

Russian military trainers arrive in Niger as relations deteriorate with the US

April 12, 2024 at 10:54 p.m.

DAKAR, Senegal — Russian military trainers arrived this week in Niger to reinforce the country’s air defenses as the west African nation pulls away from close cooperation with the United States in...

FILE - Mali Prime Minister Abdoulaye Maiga at the COP28 U.N. Climate Summit, Saturday, Dec. 9, 2023, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. According to a notice posted on social media, Thursday, April 11, 2024, Mali’s ruling junta has banned the media from reporting on the activities of political parties and associations in the country. The ban followed a decision the previous day that banned all political party activities until further notice. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili, File)

Mali’s junta bans the media from reporting on political activities in a deepening crackdown

April 12, 2024 at 2:42 a.m.

BAMAKO, Mali — In a deepening crackdown, Mali’s ruling junta on Thursday banned the media from reporting on activities of political parties and associations, a day after suspending all political activities in...

ARCHIVO - El primer ministro de Mali, Abdoulaye Maiga, participa en la cumbre climática COP28 de la ONU el sábado 9 de diciembre de 2023, en Dubai, Emiratos Árabes Unidos. (AP Foto/Kamran Jebreili, archivo)

Junta de gobierno de Mali le prohibe a la prensa reportar actividades politicas

April 12, 2024 at 3:51 a.m.

BAMAKO, Mali — La junta de gobierno de Mali les prohibió el jueves a los medios de comunicación reportar sobre las actividades de partidos políticos y asociaciones, un día después de suspender...

Llegan primeros suministros de alimentos de ONU a Darfur

April 5, 2024 at 6:04 p.m.

DAKAR, Senegal — Naciones Unidas comenzó a distribuir alimentos en la provincia sudanesa de Darfur, devastada por la guerra, por primera vez en meses luego de dos operaciones transfronterizas exitosas, informó el...

This handout photo provided by World Relief shows emergency food being distributed by World Food Programme (WFP) and World Relief in Kulbus, West Darfur, Sudan, end of March 2024. The United Nations said Friday, April 5, 2024, it has begun distributing food in Sudan’s war-ravaged Darfur province for the first time in months, following two successful cross-border operations, but the population still faces widespread starvation unless more help arrives. (World Relief via AP)

First UN food supplies arrive in Sudan’s Darfur after months but millions face acute hunger

April 5, 2024 at 6:49 p.m.

DAKAR, Senegal — The United Nations said Friday it has begun distributing food in Sudan’s restive western Darfur region for the first time in months, following two successful cross-border deliveries in March,...

Bassirou Diomaye Faye is sworn in as Senegal's president in Dakar, Senegal, Tuesday, April 2, 2024. Senegal has sworn in Bassirou Diomaye Faye as its new president, completing the previously little-known opposition figure’s dramatic ascent from prison to the palace in recent weeks. Faye was released from prison less than two weeks before the March election following a political amnesty announced by the outgoing president. (AP Photo/Sylvain Cherkaoui)

Senegal swears in Africa’s youngest elected leader as president in a dramatic prison-to-palace rise

April 2, 2024 at 11:54 p.m.

DAKAR, Senegal — Senegal inaugurated Africa's youngest elected leader as president on Tuesday, as the 44-year-old and previously little-known Bassirou Diomaye Faye completed a dramatic ascent from prison to palace within weeks.Hours...

ARCHIVO - En esta foto sin fecha, proporcionada por el ejército francés, aparecen tres mercenarios rusos en el norte de Mali. (Ejército francés vía AP, Archivo)

En Mali, mercenarios rusos ayudan al ejercito a asesinar civiles, dicen grupos de derechos humanos

March 28, 2024 at 2:49 p.m.

DAKAR, Senegal — El grupo mercenario ruso Wagner ayuda a las fuerzas gubernamentales del centro y el norte de Mali a realizar incursiones y ataques con drones que han matado a miles...

FILE - This undated photograph provided by the French military shows three Russian mercenaries, in northern Mali. Wagner is helping government forces in central and northern Mali carry out raids and drone strikes that have killed scores of civilians, including many children, rights groups said in reports published this week that span a period from December to March. (French Army via AP, File)

In Mali, Russian Wagner mercenaries are helping the army kill civilians, rights groups say

March 28, 2024 at 12:44 p.m.

DAKAR, Senegal — The Russian mercenary group known as Wagner is helping government forces in central and northern Mali carry out raids and drone strikes that have killed scores of civilians, including...

Bassirou Diomaye Faye holds a press conference after winning the presidential elections in Dakar, Senegal, Monday, March 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)

Senegal’s little-known opposition leader Bassirou Diomaye Faye is named the next president

March 26, 2024 at 12:31 a.m.

DAKAR, Senegal — Senegal’s little-known, 44-year-old opposition leader Bassirou Diomaye Faye was named the country's next president on Monday, less than two weeks after being released from prison to run in the...

ARCHIVO - Una bolsa insta a la gente a votar en las elecciones presidenciales en Dakar, Senegal, el miércoles 20 de marzo de 2024. El cartel en francés dice "Mi tarjeta, mi voto". (AP Foto/Mosa'ab Elshamy, Archivo)

Abren las urnas en las competidas elecciones en Senegal tras meses de inestabilidad

March 24, 2024 at 8:48 a.m.

DAKAR, Senegal — Las urnas abrieron el domingo por la mañana en Senegal en unas ajustadas elecciones presidenciales tras meses de incertidumbre e inestabilidad que han puesto a prueba la reputación del...

Presidential candidate Amadou Ba and his wife leave a polling station after casting their votes during the presidential elections, in Dakar, Senegal, Sunday, March 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)

Senegal voted in a tightly contested presidential race after months of unrest

March 24, 2024 at 10:08 p.m.

DAKAR, Senegal — Senegalese voted Sunday in a tightly contested presidential race following months of uncertainty and unrest that has tested the West African nation’s reputation as a stable democracy in a...

Refugiados sudaneses desplazados por el conflicto en Sudán se reúnen para recibir alimentos básicos de organismos de asistencia en el Campamento Metche en el este de Chad el martes 5 de marzo de 2024. (AP Foto/Jsarh Ngarndey Ulrish)

Campamentos en Chad, repletos y sin ayuda, siguen recibiendo a refugiados sudaneses

March 22, 2024 at 3:16 p.m.

CAMPAMENTO METCHE, Chad — Los sobrepoblados campamentos de refugiados en el este de Chad se quedarán pronto sin dinero, exacerbando una terrible crisis humanitaria provocada por la expansión de un mortífero conflicto...

Sudanese refugees displaced by the conflict in Sudan gather to receive food staples from aid agencies at the Metche Camp in eastern Chad Tuesday, March 5, 2024. Overcrowded refugee camps in eastern Chad are set to run out of money soon, exacerbating a dire humanitarian crisis caused by the spillover from the war in Sudan, the United Nations said. (AP Photo/Jsarh Ngarndey Ulrish)

Refugee camps in Chad are overcrowded and running out of aid, and Sudanese refugees keep coming

March 22, 2024 at 11:46 a.m.

METCHE CAMP, Chad — Overcrowded refugee camps in eastern Chad are set to run out of money soon, exacerbating a dire humanitarian crisis caused by the spillover from a deadly conflict in...

Presidential candidate Anta Babacar Ngom greets ers during her electoral campaign caravan in Dakar, Senegal, Monday, March 11, 2024. Senegal’s only female presidential candidate may stand no chance of winning but activists say her presence alone is helping to advance a decades long campaign to achieve equality in the West African nation. (AP Photo/Sylvain Cherkaoui)

Senegal votes Sunday in a presidential election that has fired up political tensions

March 21, 2024 at 8:58 a.m.

DAKAR, Senegal — Senegal votes Sunday in a tightly contested presidential election that has fired up political tensions and tested one of West Africa’s most stable democracies.The election will take place after...

La candidata a la presidencia de Senegal, Anta Babacar Ngom, saluda a sus partidarios durante un acto de su campaña electoral, en Dakar, Senegal, el 11 de marzo de 2024. (AP Foto/Sylvain Cherkaoui)

La primera mujer que opta a la presidencia en anos inspira esperanza en Senegal

March 20, 2024 at 6:35 a.m.

DAKAR, Senegal — Puede que la única mujer que aspira a la presidencia de Senegal tenga pocas o ninguna opción de ganar en las elecciones del domingo, pero los activistas afirman que...

The first woman to run for president in years in Senegal is inspiring hope

March 20, 2024 at 11:24 a.m.

DAKAR, Senegal — Senegal’s only female presidential candidate may have little to no chance of winning in Sunday’s election, but activists say her presence is helping to advance a decadeslong campaign to...

ARCHIVO - Safia Ibrahim muestra ante la cámara los instrumentos y técnicas que usa para realizar la mutilación genital femenina, lo cual aprendió a llevar a cabo desde los 15 años, en el patio de su hogar en Hargeisa, Somaliland, una region semiautónoma de Somalia, el 7 de febrero de 2022. (AP Foto/Brian Inganga, archivo)

Gambia: Legisladores rechazan derogar prohibicion de mutilacion genital femenina

March 18, 2024 at 7:10 p.m.

ERREKUNDA, Gambia — Los legisladores de Gambia rechazaron el lunes un intento de derogar la prohibición de la mutilación genital femenina, evitando por ahora que la nación de África occidental sea el...

Jaha Dukureh, the founder of Safe Hands for Girls, pickets outside parliament in Serrekunda, Gambia, Monday, March 18, 2024. The West African nation of Gambia could become the first country in the world to reverse a ban on female genital cutting, a practice that experts say is dangerous and has no benefits. Lawmakers are voting Monday on legislation that seeks to repeal the 2015 ban. (Hadim Thomas-Safe Hands for Girls via AP)

Gambia lawmakers refer a repeal of the ban on female genital cutting to more committee discussions

March 19, 2024 at 6:00 a.m.

ERREKUNDA, Gambia — Lawmakers in Gambia referred an attempted repeal of the 2015 ban on female genital cutting for further committee discussions on Monday.Gambian activists fear a repeal would overturn years of...

ARCHIVO - En esta imagen tomada de un video proporcionado por ORTN, el coronel mayor Amadou Abdramane, al frente, centro, hace una declaración la noche del miércoles 26 de julio de 2023, en Niamey, Níger, mientas una delegación de militares aparecía en la televisión estatal de Níger para leer una serie de comunicados para anunciar el golpe de estado. (ORTN vía AP, Archivo)

Decision de Niger pone en riesgo operaciones militares de EEUU en region de Sahel

March 17, 2024 at 4:03 p.m.

DAKAR, Senegal — Estados Unidos actuó con urgencia el domingo para evaluar el futuro de sus operaciones antiterroristas en el Sahel luego que la junta militar de Níger anunció que pondrá fin...

FILE - In this image taken from video provided by ORTN, Col. Maj. Amadou Abdramane, front center, makes a statement on July 26, 2023, in Niamey, Niger, as a delegation of military officers appeared on Niger State TV to read out a series of communiques announcing their coup d'etat. The U.S. is scrambling to assess the future of its counterterrorism operations in the Sahel region of Africa after the ruling junta in Niger announced it was ending military cooperation with Washington. (ORTN via AP, File)

US military operations across the Sahel are at risk after Niger ends cooperation

March 17, 2024 at 2:41 p.m.

DAKAR, Senegal — The United States scrambled on Sunday to assess the future of its counterterrorism operations in the Sahel after Niger's junta said it was ending its yearslong military cooperation with...

Senegal's opposition leader Ousmane Sonko adresses ers in Dakar, Senegal, Thursday, March 14, 2024. Sonko was released from prison earlier in the day. (AP Photo/Sylvain Cherkaoui)

Top Senegal opposition leader vows to help win March 24 election, speaking out after prison release

March 16, 2024 at 1:39 a.m.

DAKAR, Senegal — Top opposition leader Ousmane Sonko vowed Friday to help his team win Senegal's March 24 presidential election even though he is barred from the ballot, jumping into the campaign...

ers celebrate the release of Senegal's top opposition leader Ousmane Sonko and his key ally Bassirou Diomaye Faye outside Sonko's home in Dakar, Senegal, Thursday, March 14, 2024. Sonko had been in prison since July 2023 and has fought a prolonged legal battle to run for president in the March 24 election.(AP Photo/Sylvain Cherkaoui)

Senegal’s top opposition leader freed from prison ahead of presidential election this month

March 15, 2024 at 9:17 a.m.

DAKAR, Senegal — Senegal’s top opposition leader, Ousmane Sonko, has been released from prison ahead of the presidential election later this month, triggering jubilant celebrations across the country's capital.Sonko is widely seen...

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