African News for September 29, 2026

Here is today's essential African news, selected from the press. Each headline links to the full article on the publisher's website.

Mali: Amnesty NGO documents cases of killings and torture committed by the army and the Wagner Group — "No one is spared." This is the title of the report published on Tuesday, September 29, 2026, by Amnesty International, which investigated cases of murder, torture, and enforced disappearances attributed to the Malian army and… (RFI)

"It's a real relief": in Dakar, users welcome the extension of the regional express train to the airport — In Senegal, Blaise-Diagne International Airport is now accessible by train from downtown Dakar. Since Monday, September 29, the regional express train (TER) has been departing every 24 minutes from the station of… (RFI)

Guinea-Bissau: former president Umaro Sissoco Embalo announces his candidacy for the next presidential election — The ousted president of Guinea-Bissau, Umaro Sissoco Embalo, will be a candidate in the next presidential election, he announced on the evening of Monday, September 28, 2026. Overthrown during the military coup of November 26, 2025… (RFI)

The "traitors," France, the AES, and ECOWAS… In Burkina Faso, Ibrahim Traoré sets his course — Four years after the coup that brought him to power, the head of the Burkinabe junta embraces his break with Paris and refuses any return to the "Western" democratic model. Regarding the AES, however, he admits that the… (Jeune Afrique)

Côte d'Ivoire: the opposition calls for the release of Justin Katinan Koné — 🇨🇮 In Côte d'Ivoire, the opposition is calling for the release of Justin Katinan Koné of Laurent Gbagbo's PPA-CI. The PDCI, which has joined the protest, denounces an instrumentalized judiciary. (France 24)

Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games: find the schedule for the Youth Olympic Games — Aimed at athletes under 17, the 2026 Youth Olympic Games (YOG) will take place in Dakar from October 31 to November 13. This is the first Olympic competition ever organized on the… (France 24)

How Nigerian Aliko Dangote is preparing his strong comeback in the milling industry — The Nigerian billionaire, who has just listed his Lekki refinery on the stock exchange, is continuing to invest in oil and fertilizers. This does not stop him from wanting to relaunch himself in the flour market against… (Jeune Afrique)

Local elections in Senegal: "Time is working against Bassirou Diomaye Faye," according to Babacar Ndiaye — While the head of state has just created his party and is rumored to want to postpone the local elections scheduled for January 2027, the fight for the mayoralty of Dakar promises to be fierce and symptomatic of the… (Jeune Afrique)