International News
In Benin, Tensions Soar Over Cost Of Living
In the heart of Cotonou’s large Dantokpa market, Diane Makpenon’s family corn shop is less busy than usual these days.The business run by her mother like others in Benin’s economic capital has been slowing down as they struggle with rising prices.
The price of a kilo (2.2 pounds) of corn, one of the country’s most widely consumed foods, rose from 200 CFA francs (0.30 euro cents) to 450 CFA francs, before falling again to 400 CFA francs within a few days, according to traders.
A 120-kilo bag is now sold for between 33,000 (about 50 euros, nearly $54) and 36,000 CFA francs compared to barely 30,000 CFA francs before.
The increase in food costs in the small West African nation prompted Benin’s labour unions to call for an unprecedented series of protests against the cost of living — the first was dispersed by police firing tear gas and a second banned by the authorities.
A third planned for Cotonou on Saturday has been granted authorisation by city officials.
Benin’s consumer prices and economy have been hit by fallout from the Ukraine war and by the closure of the border with major trading partner Niger to the north following a coup there last July.
Neighbouring Nigeria’s naira currency devaluation and abrupt end of a decades-long fuel subsidy have also impacted Benin’s fuel prices and trade.
“Going to the market has become torture. Everything costs us so much that we are helpless,” said Roberte Akododja, 42, owner of a bistro in Cotonou’s popular Gbegamey district.
“Even in restaurants, you have to pay more for usual meals or settle for small portions,” said Delphin Agossohou, a private administration executive.
Camille Segbedji, one of the leaders of the National Union of Secondary Teachers and Administrative Personnel of Benin (SYNEPAS), criticised the absence of a “fair agricultural policy” from the government in the face of declining purchasing power.
The World Bank said Benin’s economy in 2023 was still resilient despite the external economic shocks the country had to weather.
At a cabinet meeting this week, the government temporarily suspended shipments of cereals outside the country in a bid to ease pressure on prices.
– In the streets –
Political protests have become less common in Benin since President Patrice Talon came to power in 2016, with some major opposition leaders either in exile or jailed.
Critics regularly accuse the cotton magnate of taking an authoritarian turn in a country once praised as a beacon of pluralism in West Africa.
Protesting over high costs, the main unions organised a demonstration in Cotonou on April 27 which was banned by the police who used tear gas to break up the rally.
Nearly 30 demonstrators and leaders of the trade union movement were arrested on that day, before being released a little later.
“The workers are struggling to make themselves heard. We have demands, but no way of expressing them,” explained nurse Arsene Olory-Togbe, aged 48.
On May 1, the Confederation of Benin Workers’ Unions (CSTB Benin), the country’s main trade union, rallied in a new demonstration, which was immediately banned by the authorities.
This time, 72 demonstrators were arrested, including 21 placed in pre-trial detention for cannabis consumption.
“Our motivations relate to the unhappiness among citizens today. The high cost of living and the decline in purchasing power,” said Anselme Amoussou, general secretary of CSA Benin, the country’s second-largest trade union organisation.
Despite the ban and cancellation of demonstrations in recent days, trade unionists have once again called on the population to protest against the high cost of living on May 11 in the economic capital of Benin.
“No worker is happy to take to the streets, it is never light-hearted. But in certain situations it is necessary,” said teaching union representative Segbedji.
For CSA union leader Amoussou workers just wanted dialogue, a more human approach from the government and the guarantee of labour union rights.
“Wondering whether the peaceful march will be repressed is sad for a democratic country like Benin,” he said.
AFP
South African police have arrested five suspects after rescuing a 25-year-old e-hailing driver who was allegedly kidnapped, raped and held for ransom in Cape Town.
The South African Police Service (SAPS) said in a statement on Sunday that Steenberg police rescued the driver after he was allegedly raped by two female suspects and held at ransom by the group.
Police were alerted by the victim’s brother after the suspects contacted him and demanded R4,000 in cash for the driver’s release.
According to SAPS, the police used the victim’s vehicle tracker to locate him at Southampton Road in Heathfield, where he was rescued.
“Steenberg police rescued a 25-year-old e-hailing driver after he was raped and held at ransom by two female suspects and three males yesterday,” the police said.
The victim had reportedly met one of the female suspects the previous week through his e-hailing business.
According to police, the two exchanged telephone numbers and communicated throughout the week before arranging to meet.
“When he went to meet her, he was kidnapped by the suspects and the females raped him,” SAPS said.
Police subsequently arrested the two female suspects, aged 23 and 34, as well as three male suspects aged 16, 42 and 48.
The five suspects are expected to appear before the Wynberg Magistrate’s Court on Monday, September 14, 2026.
SAPS said they would face charges relating to the alleged kidnapping and rape.
A 31-year-old woman in the United Kingdom will spend more time in prison after falsely accusing 10 men of rape, following intervention by Attorney General Ellie Reeves.
Bolton, had her sentence increased by two years and six months after Reeves referred her case to the Court of Appeal under the Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme.
Sharples contacted men on Facebook and dating apps between 2013 and 2020, arranged to meet them in person, and then made false claims of rape against them to the police.
The court heard how the convict repeated and sustained the accusations, which led to eight separate police investigations involving ten innocent victims.
The government said the majority of those wrongfully accused were arrested and held in custody, resulting in months of investigations and over 550 hours of police time.
The victims described the impact that false allegations had on their daily lives, including loss of relationships, employment, and lasting damage to their mental health.
“Anyone who seeks to exploit or undermine genuine acts of violence against women and girls must be held to account,” said Attorney General Reeves.
The top justice official advised genuine victims to come forward, saying every report of rape is rightly taken seriously and treated with the care it deserves.
On March 11, March, Sharples was sentenced to four years and six months’ imprisonment for 10 counts of obstruction of justice. The Court of Appeal increased it to 7 years on September 9.
Tanzania’s President Samia Suluhu Hassan has lost her husband, Hafidh Ameir Hassan, who died on Monday while receiving treatment for a heart condition at a hospital in Zanzibar.
Ameir died at 08:00 local time (06:00 GMT) at the Emilio Mzena Memorial Hospital, according to Vice-President Deogratius Ndejembi, who announced his death.
Ndejembi said funeral arrangements were already being made in Kizimkazi, a village on Tanzania’s semi-autonomous island of Zanzibar.
The vice-president also expressed condolences to President Hassan, Ameir’s family and friends following his death.
Kenyan President William Ruto joined those mourning Ameir, saying he received news of his death with “deep sorrow”.
“President Samia has lost a lifelong companion, her children a beloved father, and Tanzania a distinguished son,” he wrote on social media.
Ameir, an agricultural academic, largely stayed away from the public spotlight despite being married to Tanzania’s president. He became the country’s first First Gentleman after Hassan assumed office in 2021.
His appearances alongside President Hassan were uncommon, although he occasionally accompanied her at official engagements.
Ameir and Hassan married in 1978, before she began her political career, and had four children together — three sons and a daughter.
Their daughter, Wanu Hafidh Ameir, has also followed a political career and currently serves in Zanzibar’s House of Representatives in the National Assembly.
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