SOCIETY
SENEGAL – A large-scale mobilization of the M2D in place of the nation
The Movement for the Defense of Democracy (M2D) organized a demonstration this Friday, June 11, 2021 at 3 pm in the place of the nation, located in the Senegalese capital. The aim of this popular rally is to demand the release of those detained during the demonstrations of March 2021 following the arrest of the deputy and opponent Ousmane Sonko. Political leaders, members of Frapp France Dégage, activists, members of civil society took part in this demonstration.
The M2D has succeeded! This Friday, June 11, Dakar vibrated today with the strong mobilization. The members of the movement met in the Place de la Nation to demand the release of the State of Senegal of the citizens arrested on the occasion of the demonstrations from 4 to 8 March 2021 on the national territory. Figures known for their opposition to the regime of the President of the Republic Macky Sall were present at this meeting. They are the leader of Pastef Ousmane Sonko, activists Guy Marius Sagna Assane Diouf and Abdou Karim Gueye, the leader of Gëm sa bopp Bougane Gueye Dany or the rapper member of the M2D nicknamed Nitt Doff.
At his speech, Ousmane Sonko demanded the immediate and unconditional release of citizens in prison whose only harm is to exercise a constitutional right, namely to walk peacefully. “We demand the release of Macky Sall’s political detainees. The fight will continue. If Macky Sall relies on the 3000 gendarmes he recruited or on the police, he is mistaken. If he does the same thing again, the demonstrations will be even more intense”, said the main Senegalese opponent under the applause of the many citizens present.
The leader of Pastef did not limit himself there. He reminds the Head of State of the need to ensure compliance with the electoral calendar. For him, if the election deadlines are not respected, he will give up his position as an MP because he will no longer be legitimate. “I was elected on June 17, 2017 and my term is set to end on June 17, 2022. If the elections are not organised according to the chosen calendar, I return the keys to my official car and I give up the post of deputy”, said Ousmane Sonko.
The activist Abdou Karim Gueye, aka Karim Xrum Xax, also spoke about the current situation in Senegal and the patriotic commitment of the M2D. For him, this is the first time we have seen all the forces engaged in a fight for freedom, justice and democracy. He also magnified the way in which Ousmane Sonko expresses his opposition to the regime of Macky Sall. According to the activist, this is a real development in Senegal.
“Since the advent of President Ousmane Sonko, I have noticed something that has never existed in the past: I have never seen rappers like Nit Dof militate in an opposition political party, rappers like Karim Xrum Xax support a politician.So it is no longer politics but a revolution. Also, there has never been a politician of the stature of President Ousmane Sonko who is protesting for the release of detainees arrested during demonstrations,‘ he said in a strong tone.
Rapper Mor Talla Gaye, better known as Nitt Doff, announced during the rally the release of one of the detainees in Diourbel. There are still 7 people in detention in the country’s various prisons. This information was greeted with shouts and applause by the young people and political leaders present at the demonstration.
In Cameroon, about 7 million children, including more than 1.5 million in school, do not have a birth certificate. The absence of this essential document for access to education, health and other public services, particularly affects rural areas and the regions of the Far North, Northwest and Southwest. The subject was discussed during the 3rd International Economic Days of Municipalities (JEICOM), held from June 2 to 4, 2025, at the Palais des Congrès in Yaoundé.
A deplorable situation at the moment when Cameroon is celebrating the 5th edition of Children’s Day under the theme “Child-sensitive budgeting and planning: a strategic lever for the promotion and protection of children’s rights”.
Faced with the constant problem of establishing birth certificates in Cameroon, the government, through the National Civil Registry Office (BUNEC), collaborates with partners such as UNICEF or the World Bank in order to provide an effective response to the phenomenon.
In this dynamic, the Bunec provides the town halls with tools to ensure a “compliant and reliable registration of births”. It also supports them in the modernization of the civil status system, including the digitization of registers. UNICEF has enabled some town halls to strengthen their human resources capacities and develop innovative strategies.
Several initiatives were launched, notably the national forum on universal birth registration, organized in April 2024, which brought together mayors, civil status officials, and partners to discuss solutions to the problem.
A violent mutiny broke out this Tuesday, June 3, 2025, at the Maison Pénale de Bouaké in Ivory Coast. While the Prison Administration was conducting a routine search within the establishment, it encountered hostility from the inmates of Building E. According to the prosecutor’s statement, they “were attacking them with the help of clubs, machetes and other blunt objects.” To clear themselves, the agents were forced to carry out warning shots in order to cover their retreat.
Unfortunately, this incident led to a heavy toll: “the death of five (05) detainees is to be deplored. Twenty-nine (29) injured, including six (06) prison officers and twenty-three (23) detainees, were also recorded,” said the public prosecutor. He specifies that the injured were taken care of and a coroner was requested for findings of use in such circumstances.
The rapid intervention of the forces of the Gendarmerie and the National Police allowed to limit the violence and restore order. The search operation then continued without further incidents. She led to the discovery of “several blocks of cannabis, platelets of Tramadol tablets, eighteen (18) mobile phones, including eight (08) smartphones, three (03) grenades, knives etc… strictly prohibited in detention.
The prosecutor recalled that previous excavations had already led to the discovery of bladed weapons
More than 200 people were found dead after the sudden floods that hit the Central West of Nigeria on Thursday, May 29, 2025, announced the humanitarian coordinator of the state of Niger in a new report, Tuesday, June 3. Hundreds of victims are still missing.
The balance sheet is getting heavier. Trapped by sudden floods in west-central Niger, many people were still missing on Tuesday 3 June. The humanitarian coordinator of Niger state said that the death toll now exceeds 200, while hundreds of people are still missing.
“We have more than 200 bodies,” Ahmad Suleiman told Channels Television. “No one can say at the moment how many deaths there are in the state of Niger because we are still looking for other bodies,” he added.
The research continues
“We continue to search but sincerely, we cannot be sure of anything,” he added. Many victims were counted in Mokwa, the most affected agglomeration and a neighborhood of which was wiped out within hours Thursday by flood waters from the Niger River. Since then, volunteers and rescue teams have been combing the area under an overwhelming heat, sometimes finding bodies up to 10 kilometers away.
The coordinator’s announcement comes after the official toll remained stuck at 150 deaths, although some residents deplore the loss of more than a dozen family members.
Fifteen of the 36 states in Nigeria had been placed on flood alert a few days before the disaster. Climate change amplifies extreme weather events in Nigeria but for the people of Mokwa, the tragedy is also linked to human failures. In Mokwa, muddy waters swept away hundreds of houses in the town, including the lack of maintenance of the nozzles designed to evacuate floodwaters, which were clogged with debris on the day of the flood.
The death toll could exceed the 321 deaths from the floods that occurred in 34 of Nigeria’s 36 states in 2024. The Nigerian government claims to have provided aid, but on the spot, the inhabitants feel left to themselves and several families said they had received nothing.
Source: la-croix.com/ Photo credit: TV5
