North Africa and the Sahel

The president of Burkina Faso – Roch Kaboré - has been overthrown by a group of soldiers in the third military coup in West Africa in eight months. In a televised broadcast on Monday coup leaders announced the closure of land and air borders from midnight, dissolved the government and the National Assembly and "suspended" the Constitution. A curfew was also decreed, from 9 pm to 5 am, throughout the country, "until further notice".

President Roch Kaboré has been arrested and is being held by soldiers who initiated a coup d'état in Burkina Faso. Media reports say that the military, frustrated by the inability of the government to address the attacks by radical Islamic militants, initiated the coup. The soldiers say president Kaboré is not supporting the army sufficiently thus the need for a military regime. Sources close to the military say the president is being held in a safe place. 

After ending the year with chaos and uncertainty, Libya political factions disagreed over elections rules leading to the postponement of elections originally scheduled for 24 December 2021. It is now expected that elections be pushed towards a June 2022 deadline with no official date set yet. 

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Libya High National Election Commission did not yet announce the final list of candidates running for presidential elections on 24 December. The latest twist threatens the success of an UN-backed effort into restoring a government in Libya and moving beyond a decade of violence.