Africa
Aïsha Dabo: Africans want their leaders to represent their interests
China and Russia are expanding their influence in Africa. How can this be explained? How are African governments responding, and how can civil society engage with these issues?
Africanews speaks with Aïsha Dabo, coordinator and co-founder of the programs at the pan-African organization Africtivistes, on the sidelines of the 2025 International Film Festival and Forum on Human Rights in Geneva, which hosted a debate on the topic.
You have led digital initiatives to promote cybersecurity, combat disinformation, and strengthen democratic governance in Africa. What have you observed regarding public opinion on the continent? Does it influence how African governments manage their international partnerships?
African citizens want their leaders to properly represent their interests. However, there is a significant gap between what the people want and what leaders are actually implementing the agreements they sign and the partnerships they negotiate. At Africtivistes, as a pan-African network, we encourage governments and the private sector to negotiate with the general interest in mind.
The continent is highly sought after for its resources and has long been a battleground for competing global powers. Do you think African governments have realized that they can leverage these rivalries to their advantage?
As long as it serves the country’s interests and results in win-win partnerships, I personally see no issue with it.
However, if these deals only benefit the elite, they are not sustainable. These negotiations involve the natural resources of the people, and they impact not only the current population but also future generations.
Take Senegal, for example. When the new administration came to power, they announced plans to renegotiate contracts that were not in the public’s best interest. Discussions are currently underway to review what was decided under the previous government, what actions were taken, and whether they truly served the Senegalese people.
Africa is being courted by multiple foreign players, with China and Russia being the most prominent. How have these two countries expanded their influence?
Whether it’s Russia, China, or other global powers, their primary interest in Africa is resources and the international influence that comes with them—nothing more. It is up to Africans, or rather the African elites negotiating these deals, to recognize this reality and ensure that they negotiate in their own interest—not just in the interest of those in power and their inner circles.
This goes beyond individual leaders. That is why we focus on raising awareness, sharing information, and equipping young people and communities with the knowledge they need to understand their rights and responsibilities. This allows them to make informed decisions, which is why we prioritize this work.
This is what Africtivistes does—empowering civil society and the general public to understand these issues and providing them with the tools to take action.
Yes, and our focus is on democracy. We believe it is a system that can work, and each country should be able to define its own model—as long as the three branches of government remain independent and citizens have a voice.
We work to educate citizens on how these systems function. Citizens have the right to vote and pay taxes. But where does their money go? Do they see how it is used? How can they demand accountability? They should be able to access public information that is not classified as a state secret. They should also be able to review contracts negotiated in their name.
Through technology, we develop tools to strengthen civic participation. Our goal is to ensure that Africans are no longer passive observers of their own future, allowing others to decide what the Africa of tomorrow should look like.
Morocco’s meteorological agency announced Friday that 2024 was the hottest year ever recorded in the country, reflecting record temperatures globally.
In an annual report, the agency said it recorded an average temperature anomaly of +1.49 degrees Celsius last year compared to the 1991-2020 period.
“The year 2024 stands out as the hottest ever recorded in Morocco,” she said, adding that every month of 2024, except June and September, had been warmer than the average for the 1991-2020 reference period.
According to the agency, several cities broke daily heat records last July, with 47.6 degrees Celsius in Marrakech and 47.7 degrees Celsius in Beni Mellal.
According to the meteorological department, the kingdom is facing its seventh consecutive year of drought, with an average rainfall deficit of -24.7% in 2024.
The agency also noted “an increase in thermal anomalies, particularly during the fall and winter seasons.”
Morocco’s all-time heat record was set in August 2023, when temperatures reached 50.4 degrees Celsius (122 Fahrenheit) in Agadir.
The second week of the Israel-Iran war started with a renewed round of strikes despite talks between European ministers and Iran’s top diplomat.
Friday’s talks, which aimed at de-escalating the fighting between the two adversaries, lasted for four hours in Geneva, but failed to produce a breakthrough. Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump continued to weigh his country’s military involvement and concerns spiked over potential strikes on nuclear reactors.
Still, European officials expressed hope for future negotiations. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said he was open to further dialogue but stressed Tehran wasn’t interested in negotiating with the U.S. while Israel continued attacking.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova on Friday emphasized the critical importance of political and diplomatic solutions to resolve the Iranian nuclear issue, warning of potential nuclear confrontation amid ongoing tensions.
Zakharova made the remarks on the sidelines of the 28th St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF), which opened on Wednesday in Russia’s second-largest city. The forum brings together participants to address global challenges.
The spokeswoman called for balanced international measures to ensure regional security and the peaceful use of nuclear energy.
Tehran vows to make Grossi ‘pay’
A senior adviser for Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, vowed in a social media post Saturday to make the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency “pay” once the war with Israel is over.
Ali Larijani’s threat comes as IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi has become a major target for many Iranian officials who say his conflicting statements about the status of Iran’s nuclear program incited the Israeli surprise attack last week.
Grossi told the United Nations’ Security Council Friday that while Iran has the material to build a nuclear bomb, it appears they have no plans to do so.
The criminal chamber specializing in terrorism cases at the Tunis Court of First Instance sentenced in absentia the former Tunisian President Moncef Marzouki to 22 years in prison, with immediate effect.
The court also handed the same sentence to his former advisor, Imed Daimi, and former bar association president, Abderrazak Kilani.
The ruling, announced on Friday, stems from terrorism-related charges, though details of the case and specific accusations have not yet been disclosed publicly.
The verdict was delivered in their absence, as the three men are on the run abroad. Two other defendants, also on the run, received the same sentence on similar charges.
According to judicial sources, the Tunis Court of Appeal, through its indictment chamber specializing in terrorism cases, had previously ordered their referral to the criminal chamber of the Tunis Court of First Instance.
The latter was therefore asked to rule on several accusations related to terrorist offenses, without the precise details of the charges being made public at this stage.
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