Francophone Africa update: 8 November 2021

West African regional bloc ECOWAS imposes new sanctions on military transition leaders in Mali and Guinea. France 24 Al Jazeera

Two attacks in Niger’s Tillabery region kill 69 civilians and eleven soldiers. LE FIGARO

Literature: Mohamed Mbougar Sarr, 31-year-old writer born in Senegal, awarded Goncourt prize for The Most Secret Memory of Men. Afrique XXI RFI The Guardian

Ex- Central African Republic president and other rebels said to be in N’Djamena. RFI

British Council study finds English language is gaining ground in Morocco. The Africa Report

Long read (in French): “Au Sahel, le dérèglement climatique a bon dos” Afrique XXI

Interview (in French): Dr Rama Salla Dieng : « L’Afrique a aussi eu ses féminismes et elle ne le doit pas à l’Occident » Le Monde

New publication on the Sahel: Bruno Charbonneau, ‘Counter-insurgency governance in the Sahel’, International Affairs, 97: 6, November 2021 https://academic.oup.com/ia/article/97/6/1805/6412468

Update on Central African Republic

According to RFI, the security situation in Central African Republic continues to deteriorate. The number of victims and internally displaced people increases constantly. However, according to an International Crisis Group report, local initiatives give a glimmer of hope. Humanitarian aid has improved, some ex-combatants have become motorbike taxi drivers. Stabilising the country of 622,000 square kilometers outside Bangui still remains a difficult task. The numbers of soldiers, gendarmes and policemen outside the capital remain insufficient and the deployed soldiers rely heavily on MINUSCA for logistics.