News updates from the African continent for July 4th, 2025
Mali’s Military Government Grants General Assimi Goïta five-year Presidential term
Mali’s military government has granted General Assimi Goïta a five-year term as president, renewable “as many times as necessary,” backed unanimously by the National Transitional Council.
This move delays the return to civilian rule, originally promised by March 2024, and entrenches military control following coups in 2020 and 2021.
Mali is part of the Alliance of Sahel States with Burkina Faso and Niger, highlighting regional implications.
Source: France24
Former Deputy President of South Africa Dies at 64
David Mabuza, former deputy president of South Africa, died at 64 after a short illness, confirmed by President Cyril Ramaphosa. Mabuza, who served from 2018 to 2023, played a critical role in Ramaphosa’s rise but was marred by corruption allegations.
His death is a significant event for the ANC and South African politics.
Source: New York Times
Akon’s futuristic $6bn city project in Senegal abandoned
Plans for a futuristic city in Senegal dreamt up by the singer Akon have been scrapped and instead he will work on something more realistic, officials say.
“The Akon City project no longer exists,” Serigne Mamadou Mboup, the head of Senegal’s tourism development body, Sapco, told the BBC.
“Fortunately, an agreement has been reached between Sapco and the entrepreneur Alioune Badara Thiam [aka Akon]. What he’s preparing with us is a realistic project, which Sapco will fully support.”
