Weekly Updates: West Africa
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Weekly Updates: West Africa *
November 3, 2025 by Mathilda Simons
Photo courtesy of AP News
In the Ivory Coast, President Alassane Ouattara won a landslide re-election victory with 89% of the vote, securing a fourth term in office. Outtara disqualified opposition figures on the grounds of alleged legal concerns. Tensions in the country are high, although all forms of protest have been banned, and 44,000 security personnel were deployed ahead of the election. Outtara initially promised to step down but has since leveraged various government agencies to maintain and expand his power.
In Cameroon, Paul Biya, the world's oldest president at 92, has declared victory after seeking his eighth consecutive seven-year term. Throughout his 42 years in power, Biya has prevented substantial political change by amending the constitution to eliminate term limits, harshly responding to protesters, and limiting opposition through a centralized system. While multiparty elections have been held, they are characterized by a lack of transparency, which has led to Biya’s government being perceived as semi-authoritarian. Although Cameroon has remained largely economically stable, democratic concerns have shifted the mood in the country.
Recently, leopards in West Africa were officially declared endangered. Their population, genetically isolated from Central African leopards, has declined by over 50% over the past two decades. With only 350 leopards left, there is a dire need to cut down on hunting and poaching, primarily done to reduce competition for bushmeat, and limit encroachment onto leopard habitats.
42 West African migrants deported from the U.S. have now been accepted by the Ghanaian government. Though some migrants have now returned to their home countries, others are being held in a military camp in Ghana, and others have been deported to West African countries with which they have no ties. A Ghanaian rights group, Democracy Hub, filed a lawsuit challenging a bilateral agreement with the United States under which migrants are being deported to Ghana, arguing the treaty lacked parliamentary approval and may violate international human‑rights protections.
Mathilda Simons (CC’29) is a West Africa Representative at Columbia Academics in Foreign Affairs (CAFA), with intentions to study Economics and Philosophy