Africa
France Out, Russia In? Burkina Faso’s Shift in Global Alliances
by Kaila Nkufo
Men in the Burkinese capital Ouagadougou posing with the Russian flag. (Image Credit: Chérif Konaté, Wikimedia Commons).
Since Captain Ibrahim Traoré’s rise to power in a 2022 military coup, Burkina Faso has become a key player in West Africa’s changing geopolitics. His junta has initiated a bold foreign policy shift, moving the country away from France, its former colonial power, towards Russia, as part of broader trend in the Sahel region.
Burkina Faso’s expulsion of French troops and suspension of military agreements marks a dramatic separation from decades of Franco-African military cooperation. Traoré’s rhetoric mirrors that of his counterparts in Mali and Niger, who have adopted populist, anti-Western stances, framing the withdrawal of former colonial powers as a way to regain national sovereignty. This rhetoric, while grounded in local frustrations with ineffective counterterrorism strategies, also plays into a broader global realignment in Africa, where Russia is eager to step in as an alternative partner.
Russia’s growing influence in the region is driven by its expanding presence via private military contractors like the Wagner Group and a diplomatic push to deepen ties with African countries dissatisfied with Western policies. Critics, however, argue that Burkina Faso’s pivot to Russia could merely substitute one form of foreign influence for another, without addressing the root causes of the country’s political instability, such as weak governance and the insurgency threat.
As France’s influence wanes and Russia’s role expands, Burkina Faso’s geopolitical shift underscores a larger transformation in African international relations, signaling a fundamental reordering of alliances. The question remains whether this will lead to genuine regional stability or simply create new dependencies.
Landslide Victory for Nguema in Gabon’s Presidential Elections
by Emily Georgiadis
Gabonese President Brice Oligui Nguema. (Image Credit: US Department of State, Wikimedia Commons).
Gabon held its first presidential election since the 2023 military coup on 12 April 2025. Brice Oligui Nguema, the transitional president who led the ousting of Ali Bongo and the end of the family’s 55-year dynastic rule, secured a landslide victory with 90 percent of the vote. He ran as an independent candidate seeking to “restore dignity to the Gabonese people” and address the country’s long-standing issues of poor governance and widespread corruption.
His main opponent, former-Prime Minister Alain Claude Bilie-By-Nze, conceded defeat on Monday having received just over 3 percent of the votes. The election saw a turnout of over 70 percent and was largely peaceful, but concerns remain. Several opposition candidates were excluded from the race, and recent changes to the constitution and electoral code are seen to have worked in Nguema’s favour.
The vote follows the contested 2023 election in which Ali Bongo claimed a third term – results that triggered widespread unrest and a swift military coup. Nguema, then-head of the junta, was appointed transitional leader. His election win now formalises his rule under a seven-year mandate.
Despite Gabon’s significant oil, gold, and manganese wealth, nearly a third of its 2.2 million citizens live below the poverty line. Nguema has pledged to diversify the economy and invest in sectors like agriculture, tourism, and industry. Whether he can deliver real change, or if this marks a continuation of elite dominance under a new name, remains to be seen.
South America
Ecuador: When is an election not an election?
by Gavin Southway
President Daniel Noboa of Ecuador. (Image Credit: Presidencia de la República del Ecuador, Wikimedia Commons).
It wasn’t a surprise to many Ecuadorans that incumbent Daniel Noboa won presidential re-election this month. But what may have surprised them was the margin of victory.
Ecuador’s two-round system meant centre-right Noboa and left-wing opposition candidate Luisa González went to the second round, with opinion polls suggesting a dead heat. However, Noboa won with a strong 55.6 percent of the vote against González, who lagged behind with 44.4 percent. This has been credited to a campaign targeting younger voters, using the same trick which handed him his unlikely victory in 2023.
González immediately demanded a recount, however international observers have judged the result to be fair. In the days after Noboa’s victory and parades through major city Guayaquil and the capital Quito, González’s allies dissented and recognised the result. Noboa has promised to expand protections for women and the LGBTQ+ community and continue defeating criminal gangs, with which Donald Trump has agreed to help.
Asia
Pakistan’s deportations of Afghan migrants
by Mhairi Buchanan
The current Afghan-Pakistani border. (Image credit: Weaveravel, Wikimedia Commons).
Pakistan has accelerated the number of forced deportations of undocumented Afghans and those who had temporary permission to stay. 19,500 people have been deported between 1 and 19 April, on top of 80,000 who had left before the 30 April deadline. Taliban officials have reported that between 700 and 800 families are being deported daily. More than 3.5 million Afghans have been living in Pakistan, with an estimated half being undocumented.
The plan to carry out these deportations was announced in October 2024, and in March, an early April deadline (later extended) to leave the country was given to those carrying Afghan citizen cards. Those holding proof of registration cards, issued by the UN refugee agency, are to be relocated out of Islamabad and Rawalpindi within Pakistan. Many affected Afghans have been living in Pakistan for decades, after fleeing successive conflicts in their own country. Some have never lived in the country. Many are at risk of persecution by the Taliban including journalists, human rights defenders and women. Many with daughters have concerns about their education prospects, as girls over the age of 12 are barred from schools.
Pakistan’s government justified the move, citing the pressure on public services and national security concerns. There has been a significant increase in cross border attacks between each side’s security forces. Pakistan blames these on militants based in Afghanistan, but the Taliban have denied this.
These deportations will prove a strain on Afghanistan’s infrastructure, a country in economic crisis and nearing a population of 45 million.
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