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AMENDMENTS 403 - 762 - Draft report 2025 Commission report on Türkiye
Committee on Foreign Affairs
Nacho Sánchez Amor

Source : © European Union, 2026 - EP

L'Association du transport aérien international (IATA) publie aujourd'hui un rapport qui démontre le rôle vital du fret aérien pour le commerce mondial et la croissance économique en 2025, dans un contexte de grande incertitude concernant les politiques commerciales. Voici les constatations clés du rapport.

· Le fret aérien a permis l'anticipation d'importations américaines d'une valeur de 157 milliards $ au premier trimestre de 2025.

· Le fret aérien a transporté plus des deux tiers de tous les biens reliés à l'IA dans le monde en 2025.

Ces activités ont soutenu la croissance de 2,4 % du commerce mondial en 2025, ce qui est bien supérieur aux prévisions initiales de l'Organisation mondiale du commerce. Le PIB mondial s'est aussi accru de 3,2 % malgré des vents contraires importants sur le plan politique.

« Le fret aérien est une composante structurelle de la résilience de l'économie mondiale. En 2025, il a aidé les entreprises à absorber les chocs tarifaires, permis une restructuration rapide du commerce et soutenu l'expansion des investissements en intelligence artificielle (IA), favorisant la croissance commerciale et économique dans une année difficile », déclare Julia Seiermann, directrice des analyses industrielles à l'IATA.

Flambée d'importations anticipées

En 2025, les tarifs moyens appliqués par les États-Unis ont atteint environ 17 %, les plus élevés depuis les années 1930, avec plusieurs changements de politique et des frictions commerciales accrues. Plusieurs entreprises ont utilisé le fret aérien pour précéder les tarifs en accélérant les envois.

Au premier trimestre de 2025, les importations américaines se sont accrues de 193 milliards $ en glissement annuel, soit une augmentation de 26 %. La hausse était massivement concentrée dans le transport aérien. La valeur des importations par air au premier trimestre s'est accrue de 81 % en glissement annuel, totalisant 157 milliards $ (82 % des 193 milliards $ d'augmentation au premier trimestre).

Restructuration des corridors commerciaux

En plus de la flambée des importations anticipées, les compagnies ont commencé à restructurer les chaînes d'approvisionnement pour réduire l'exposition aux tarifs. Les importateurs américains ont modifié leurs sources d'approvisionnement pour éviter les partenaires exposés aux tarifs, tandis que les exportateurs ont redirigé leurs envois vers des marchés alternatifs, notamment l'Europe.

La capacité du fret aérien de permettre la redistribution géographique des marchandises de haute valeur et sensibles au facteur temps pour répondre aux chocs politiques a été clairement démontrée. Durant la période d'avril à décembre 2025, le fret aérien a profité de l'expansion des corridors commerciaux davantage qu'il n'a été affecté par les corridors qui se sont contractés.

Pour les États-Unis, sur les corridors commerciaux en expansion, les importations ont augmenté de 213 milliards $, dont 174 milliards $ (82 %) étaient transportés par air. Pendant ce temps, dans les corridors en contraction, les importations américaines ont décliné de 257 milliards $, dont 77 milliards $ (30 %) étaient normalement transportés par air. En Europe, un schéma similaire a été observé : le fret aérien a transporté 48 % des gains dans les corridors en expansion, mais seulement 3 % de moins dans les corridors en contraction.

Stimuler l'essor des investissements en IA

Alors que les investissements en IA ont bondi en 2025, le fret aérien a livré de façon efficiente et fiable des équipements de haute valeur et sensibles au temps, comme des serveurs, des unités de stockage de données et des puces mémoires.

In 2025 :

· plus des deux tiers de la valeur du commerce lié à l'IA ont été transportés par air ;

· les envois par fret aérien de biens reliés à l'IA ont augmenté de 20 % d'une année sur l'autre ;

· les biens reliés à l'IA comptaient pour 53,5 % de la valeur totale du commerce par voie aérienne, tout en représentant seulement 7 % du volume, ce qui fait ressortir la haute densité de valeur de ce segment et son importance stratégique pour l'industrie.

« La rapide augmentation de la demande de biens reliés à l'IA en 2025 a été satisfaite grâce au fret aérien, ce qui a permis que les investissements se transforment en activité économique plutôt que d'être contraints par des problèmes de logistique. Comme les économies dépendent stratégiquement et de plus en plus de biens technologiques de haute valeur, le fret aérien va continuer de jouer un rôle critique en assurant leur livraison en temps opportun », conclut Mme Seiermann.

Les Guépards du Bénin affronteront la Palestine et la Guinée dans le cadre des journées FIFA de mars 2026.

Le Bénin jouera le 27 mars prochain contre la Palestine et le 31 mars contre la Guinée. Ces rencontres qui s'inscrivent dans le cadre des journées FIFA se dérouleront au Maroc.

En prélude à cette trêve internationale, Gernot Rohr, le sélectionneur national des Guépards a mobilisé 25 joueurs.
M. M.

Le Pape Léon XIV va parcourir 18 000 kilomètres, délivrer 11 discours et célébrer 7 messes dans les quatre pays prévus dans son programme officiel.

A gathering organised for the families of victims of Duterte's war on drugs in Quezon City ahead of the opening of the ICC confirmation hearing. The signs which are held up in a few of the pictures read: 'Justice! Jail everyone involved in the war on drugs.' Credit: IDEFEND

By Ed Holt
BRATISLAVA, Mar 17 2026 (IPS)

Gito* had just arrived at his father’s house in Caloocan City in the Philippines on December 7, 2016, when three armed policemen burst into the home, grabbed his father, took him outside and shot him multiple times. Gito told IPS his father had put his hands up when the officers told him they had come to arrest him, but they opened fire anyway.

Then they turned on Gito, who was 15 at the time and had come to see his father to get his lunch money for school. He says they told him his father was a drug dealer and that he would be facing charges because he was with him. He was taken away and tortured – beaten and forced to drink urine – and later jailed for three years. He and his four siblings were all forcibly separated; his mother’s mental health deteriorated, and even after release, Gito needed years of mental health help.

Andrea*, from the same city, told IPS a similar story. One day in October 2017, she and her husband and father-in-law were watching television at their home when two men wearing masks and black jackets and carrying guns burst in, shouting the name of a person none of them knew. Despite their protestations, the two men executed her husband and father-in-law, shooting them many times while they knelt in front of them. Andrea, who was five months pregnant at the time, was also injured in the shooting – a bullet hit her leg.

A priest prays at a gathering organised for the families of victims of Duterte’s war on drugs in Quezon City, ahead of the opening of the ICC confirmation hearing. Credit: IDEFEND

Left without any means of income with both the family’s breadwinners dead, she had to drop out of the vocational course she was on and spiralled into a deep depression. She eventually recovered. “When I looked at my baby, I saw my husband in her, so I picked myself up and faced life bravely,” she explained. She said, though, it is still hard financially, as she also supports her mother-in-law.

Gito’s father, and Andrea’s husband and father-in-law, were just a few of the estimated tens of thousands of victims of the brutally repressive anti-drugs policy implemented by former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte.

For years, people like Gito and Andrea have fought an often seemingly futile battle for justice for their loved ones even as local and international rights groups have detailed the horrific crimes committed under Duterte’s “war on drugs”.

But a recent hearing at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, Netherlands, has given them, and others, hope that they could see justice.

Both Gito and Andrea, along with other relatives of people who were killed under Duterte’s violent crackdown on drug use, were at the Hague during confirmation hearings between February 23 and 27 to decide whether Duterte should stand trial on charges of crimes against humanity linked to his deadly anti-drug crackdown.

Launched in 2016, it remains one of the deadliest anti-narcotics campaigns in modern history, activists say. While official police figures show 6,252 people killed by May 2022, human rights groups estimate there could have been as many as 30,000 deaths, including vigilante-style executions.

The case against Duterte covers 49 incidents of alleged murder and attempted murder, involving 78 victims, including children. But prosecutors at the hearing said these incidents are only a fraction of the thousands of killings attributed to police and hired hitmen during Duterte’s anti-drug campaign.

At the trial the prosecution said that Duterte played a “pivotal” role in a campaign of extrajudicial killings that saw thousands murdered, alleging he personally drew up death lists, incited murders and then boasted about them afterwards.

The court was shown videos of Duterte threatening to murder alleged drug users and boasting of his own skills in extrajudicial killing.

Statements from victims’ relatives submitted at the trial also highlighted the devastating toll the repressive policy had taken on not just individual families but also wider communities which were already impoverished and marginalised.

Illegal drug use in impoverished communities was often a mechanism, the prosecution said when submitting witness testimony, to cope with terrible living conditions. They said victims’ marginalised and vulnerable conditions were exacerbated exponentially when targeted by police and that the campaign against them targeted their humanity.

The prosecution pointed out that victims were often killed in front of their families, usually in their homes and local neighbourhoods, which subsequently became crime scenes. Following the killings, the families were left with not just lasting personal trauma but stigma within their close-knit communities.

Meanwhile, by targeting marginalised groups, law enforcement authorities were specifically going after those who would be least likely to be able to file complaints in the domestic justice system, human rights lawyers at the hearing argued. They said this was calculated to ensure no one was held accountable ultimately for what happened.

Duterte’s defence claimed the 80-year-old did not issue specific orders to kill drug suspects as part of his policy to take down the illegal drug trade in the country. They said that what actions he took were within the law. Duterte himself waived his right to attend the hearing and said he does not recognise the court’s authority.

The ICC has 60 days in which to issue a decision on whether to proceed with the case against Duterte, ask for more evidence, or stop the process against him.

Activists who were at the trial have expressed hope that the case against him will go ahead.

“It was very clear that the prosecution had enough [evidence] to convince the judges that the case should proceed to trial.

“The truth of the matter is that the evidence presented by the prosecution was backed up by true narratives by witnesses and by families themselves who saw how their loved ones were killed,” Rowena Legaspi, spokesperson for the Philippine group In Defense of Rights and Dignity Movement (IDEFEND), told IPS.

Both Gito and Andrea said they were convinced of the strength of the evidence presented, although Gito admitted he feared Duterte might still somehow not be tried.

“This is a grave concern for me. There are fears around political interference or procedural issues that Duterte’s defence may raise in an attempt to stop the proceedings. But I also trust the ICC process and the sufficient documents they have,” he said.

Activists also see the fact that the confirmation hearings have taken place at all as a step towards justice for the victims of Duterte’s drug crackdown.

“For the families of the victims in the court and those watching back in the Philippines, this was like seeing light at the end of the dark day when Duterte was the president. Reaching this stage of confirmation charges continues to at least gradually break the pain that is embedded in them,” Legaspi added.

“This case moving to trial is a step towards healing for all of us,” said Andrea.

Campaigners also see it as essential to ongoing campaigning for justice in the Philippines.

For years, domestic institutions failed to deliver justice, local rights groups say, with findings by rights institutions stonewalled, courts offering no meaningful accountability, and families of victims silenced by fear.

And while Duterte’s arrest and transfer to The Hague was a breakthrough in itself, activists say. They also point out that at the same time, his allies at home continue to push immunity bills and resolutions questioning ICC jurisdiction.

IDEFEND said the hearings are a political and moral test of whether international law can pierce impunity and whether Filipino society will stand with victims against state-sanctioned violence and a litmus test of the Filipino people’s pursuit of accountability.

“Duterte’s arrest and the ICC process prove persistence matters. Leaders cannot forever hide behind power, sovereignty, or dynasties. The law may be slow, but history bends toward accountability when people insist on truth.

“This case is not just about putting Duterte on trial. It affirms that the lives lost — mostly the poor and voiceless — mattered. It restores dignity to families. It exposes the machinery of state violence. And it warns future leaders that mass killings will not be tolerated,” Legaspi said.

“It also challenges the culture of impunity shielding not just Duterte but also his enablers and successors. Senate resolutions, immunity bills, and denial campaigns show the fight is far from over. But every manoeuvre is proof of accountability’s power: they are afraid because truth is catching up,” she added.

Meanwhile, other drug policy reform campaigners say it serves as an example of the massive damage that can be caused by repressive drug policies and sends a strong signal to other leaders implementing similarly brutal, hardline anti-drug campaigns.

“The large-scale human rights violations committed under Duterte’s war on drugs – which have resulted in tens of thousands of extrajudicial killings – are one of the starkest examples of the devastating impacts of punitive drug policies. And the Philippines is not an isolated case. Around the world, lethal force continues to be justified in the name of drug control – mostly in contexts of entrenched impunity,” Marie Nougier, Head of Research and Communications at the International Drug Policy Consortium (IDPC), told IPS.

“The decision by the International Criminal Court to pursue the case of Duterte sends an important signal: drug control cannot be used as a pretext for unlawful killings and the erosion of fundamental rights, and that political leaders are not beyond the reach of international law,” she added.

Back in the Philippines, the drug policies Duterte implemented remain in place and there continue to be drug-related killings, although not at the levels seen under Duterte.

And nearly a decade on from when Duterte’s hardline policies were introduced, only nine police officers have been convicted. Rights groups such as Human Rights Watch (HRW) say the vast majority of those responsible, including senior officials, have not faced any repercussions.

Legaspi said there have been some bills introduced by lawmakers on possible investigations of extrajudicial killings and discussion of treating drug use as a health issue rather than criminal and looking at harm-reduction measures to combat it.

She added, though, that Duterte’s drug policies had “an impact so huge that it continues to be felt to this day”.

Both Gito and Andrea said they were hopeful the hearings may bring about some change in the country’s drug policy.

In the meantime, though, both are waiting to see what the ICC decides and hoping for justice.

“For me, justice will be fully served when Duterte has been convicted and his co-perpetrators of the drug war have also been arrested, detained, and convicted. That is justice for me,” said Gito.

*Identity protected for their safety.
IPS UN Bureau Report

 

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The chair of Parliament's Committee on Fisheries wants to trigger the EU’s crisis and transition temporary framework due to the impact of the conflict in the Middle East.
Committee on Fisheries

Source : © European Union, 2026 - EP

The chair of Parliament's Committee on Fisheries wants to trigger the EU’s crisis and transition temporary framework due to the impact of the conflict in the Middle East.
Committee on Fisheries

Source : © European Union, 2026 - EP

Multiple blasts struck some of the Maiduguri's busiest locations on Monday evening.

Le sélectionneur national du Bénin, Gernot Rohr, a rendu publique, lundi 16 mars 2026, la liste des 25 joueurs convoqués pour les journées FIFA de mars 2026.

Pour garder les cages béninoises lors des journées FIFA de mars 2026, Gernot Rohr a renouvelé sa confiance au trio habituel composé de Marcel Dandjinou, Saturnin Allagbé et Serge Obassa.

La défense, avec huit joueurs, s'appuie sur des piliers tels qu'Olivier Verdon, Mohamed Tijani et Rodrigue Fassinou de Coton FC.

Le milieu de terrain sera animé par cinq joueurs, dont le métronome Imourane Hassane, évoluant au Grasshopper Zurich en Suisse, et Dodo Dokou (Leixoes SC, Portugal).

Neuf attaquants ont été appelés. Le capitaine Steve Mounié (Alanyaspor, Turquie) mènera l'offensive aux côtés de la pépite Junior Olaitan (Besiktas JK, Turquie) et du virevoltant Jodel Dossou. On note également la présence de joueurs évoluant dans des championnats majeurs comme Aiyegun Tosin (FC Lorient, France) et Michel Boni (Brentford, Angleterre).

Le championnat béninois est également représenté avec des convocations pour les joueurs de l'ASVO et de l'Aspac FC.

Les 25 Guépards convoqués devraient entamer leur rassemblement sous peu pour préparer les confrontations prévues lors de cette fenêtre internationale.
M. M.

LISTE

Un homme soupçonné d'avoir facilité les activités financières de l'activiste panafricain Kemi Seba a été traduit en justice. Ce tenancier de boutique de transfert de devises est accusé de complicité dans des faits d'incitation à la violence et de cybercriminalité. Le prévenu a comparu le lundi 16 mars 2026 devant la CRIET.

Soupçonné pour ses liens financiers avec l'activiste panafricain Kemi Seba, un homme se retrouve en détention préventive au Bénin. Lundi 16 mars 2026, la Cour de répression des infractions économiques et du terrorisme (CRIET) a ouvert le procès de ce prévenu. Convoqué à la barre, le prévenu a rejeté les faits et a nié fermement les charges retenues contre lui. D'un côté, il est poursuivi par le parquet spécial près la CRIET d'avoir effectué des opérations financières pour le compte du président de l'ONG Urgences panafricanistes Kemi Seba, recherché par les autorités béninoises dans le cadre du Coup d'État manqué du 7 décembre 2025 au Bénin. De l'autre, il est également poursuivi pour des activités de cybercriminalité présumées.

Selon les éléments révélés à l'audience, le prévenu serait impliqué dans un système permettant à des cybercriminels de blanchir une partie de leurs gains illicites. En échange d'une commission de 5%, il leur aurait fourni des comptes bancaires fictifs pour récupérer leurs butins. Une pratique qu'il a niée, affirmant ignorer l'origine douteuse des fonds de certains de ses clients.

Quant à ses liens avec Kemi Seba, le tenancier de boutique de transfert de devise et de change a reconnu n'avoir réalisé qu'une seule transaction en cryptomonnaie de 2000 euros pour l'activiste en 2023. Une déclaration qui n'a pas convaincu les magistrats, qui semblent disposer d'éléments supplémentaires sur une collaboration plus étroite entre les deux hommes.

Face à ces accusations graves, la défense du prévenu a demandé un renvoi de l'audience afin de mieux préparer la stratégie de son client. La CRIET a accédé à cette requête et a reporté la suite du procès au lundi 11 mai 2026, rapporte l'envoyé spécial de Libre Express. Un délai qui permettra sans doute d'en apprendre davantage sur le rôle présumé de ce prévenu dans les activités de Kemi Seba.

https://libre-express.bj/justice/5084/undefined

Dauer des Videos : 210'

Haftungsausschluss : Die Verdolmetschung der Debatten soll die Kommunikation erleichtern, sie stellt jedoch keine authentische Aufzeichnung der Debatten dar. Authentisch sind nur die Originalfassungen der Reden bzw. ihre überprüften schriftlichen Übersetzungen.
Quelle : © Europäische Union, 2026 - EP

Le Comité Intercommunal de Coordination (CIC) de l'Union Générale pour le Développement des Communes de la Vallée de l'Ouémé (UGDCVO) annonce le report de l'édition 2026 de la fête identitaire Wémèxwé.

Initialement programmée du 18 au 22 mars 2026 à Affamè dans la commune de Bonou, la fête identitaire Wémèxwé est reportée à une date ultérieure.

‎Dans un communiqué officiel signé par le Coordonnateur Général, Antoine Bonou, l'organisation informe les participants et partenaires que ce report est dû à une « difficulté majeure essentiellement d'ordre logistique ». Le communiqué précise que cette situation est survenue pour des « raisons indépendantes de sa volonté ».

‎Cette décision « vise à permettre à tous les participants de prendre pleinement part à cette grande célébration culturelle dans les meilleures conditions possibles ».
‎
‎Le CIC indique que « la nouvelle date sera communiquée incessamment à travers les canaux habituels de communication ».
‎M. M.

Les étudiants en médecine ont annoncé, lundi 16 mars 2026, la levée de leur mouvement de protestation à l'issue d'une rencontre avec le président de la République.

Fin de la grève des étudiants en médecine ! Les stages hospitaliers doivent reprendre. A l'issue de leurs échanges, lundi 16 mars 2026, avec le chef de l'Etat Patrice Talon, les étudiants ont suspendu leur grève. Cette rencontre, tenue à huis clos au palais présidentiel, s'est déroulée en présence des ministres en charge de la Santé et de la Justice, ainsi que d'enseignants de la Faculté des Sciences de la Santé (FSS).

Au cœur des discussions figuraient les conditions de stage des étudiants. Dans un communiqué publié la semaine précédente, ces derniers avaient dénoncé l'absence de textes précis encadrant leurs droits, leurs missions et leurs responsabilités dans les structures sanitaires. Ils ont réitéré ces préoccupations lors de l'audience avec le chef de l'Etat.

D'après les informations, le président Patrice Talon a assuré que les revendications seront examinées, tout en rappelant le respect du cadre légal.

Le mouvement de protestation fait suite à la condamnation d'une gynécologue et deux de ses assistants à 12 mois de prison ferme pour homicide involontaire. Une femme enceinte est décédée suite à une césarienne au CHD Ouémé-Plateau, à Porto-Novo.
M. M.

L'Association des Créateurs de Mode du Bénin (ACMB) a ouvert une nouvelle page de son histoire à l'issue de son Assemblée générale élective, tenue dimanche 15 mars 2026, avec l'élection d'un nouveau bureau exécutif.

Le Président de l'ACMB
Jerry Sinclair Aguenoukoun

En Assemblée générale élective le 15 mars 2026, les créateurs de mode du Bénin ont décidé de la nécessité de « structurer davantage » leur profession pour mieux accompagner son développement. La rencontre a réuni membres, bureau des sages, équipe transitoire et partenaires du secteur.

Les travaux ont notamment permis de revisiter les textes de l'association. Des amendements ont été adoptés afin de mettre en place une gouvernance jugée « plus claire et plus moderne », adaptée aux réalités actuelles de la mode béninoise.

Après l'installation du présidium et l'intervention du président sortant, les membres de l'association ont procédé au renouvellement des instances dirigeantes. À l'issue du scrutin, Jerry Sinclair Aguenoukoun a été élu président de l'ACMB. Dans son allocution, il a salué « le rôle déterminant » du bureau des sages et de l'équipe transitoire, qui ont permis à l'association de « traverser une période délicate ». M. Aguenoukoun a appelé à l'unité pour « reconstruire une organisation forte, crédible et utile ».

Le nouveau président entend axer son mandat sur cinq priorités : réunifier les membres, renforcer la vie associative, développer la formation, structurer les entreprises de mode et créer davantage d'opportunités économiques.

Cette assemblée marque ainsi le début d'une nouvelle dynamique pour l'ACMB, avec l'ambition de faire de la mode un levier de développement économique et culturel au Bénin.

La rencontre s'est achevée dans une ambiance conviviale, symbolisée par une photo de famille.

Les membres du Bureau exécutif de l'ACMB

Président : Jerry Aguenoukoun
Vice-Présidente 1 : Gretta Gangbo
Vice-Présidente 2 : Florette Hedible
Secrétaire Général : Lawin Kayi de Vincent
Secrétaire Général Adjoint : Arnaud Towanou
Trésorière Générale : Muriel Accrombessi
Trésorière Générale Adjointe : Kossiwa Mawusse Wozuame
Responsable Organisation Générale : Abraham Alessou
Responsable Formation : Bio Mama Moustapha

Le Parlement albanais a voté contre la levée de l'immunité de l'ancienne vice-Première ministre Belinda Balluku, accusée de corruption. La Commission et plusieurs ambassades européennes critiquent ces entraves à la justice.

- Articles / Une - Diaporama - En premier, Courrier des Balkans, PS Albanie, Albanie, Défense, police et justice, Questions européennes, Une - Diaporama

Le Parlement albanais a voté contre la levée de l'immunité de l'ancienne vice-Première ministre Belinda Balluku, accusée de corruption. La Commission et plusieurs ambassades européennes critiquent ces entraves à la justice.

- Articles / Une - Diaporama - En premier, Courrier des Balkans, PS Albanie, Albanie, Défense, police et justice, Questions européennes, Une - Diaporama

L'artiste béninois OPA a remporté le Prix Découvertes RFI 2026.

Distinction pour l'artiste béninois OPA. Il est sacré lauréat du Prix Découvertes RFI 2026. C'est à l'issue du vote du public et du jury présidé par MC Solaar, OPA. De son vrai nom Tossou Paoli, l'artiste évolue dans un style afrobeat, soul et jazz. Il chante en fon, en français et en anglais. Le jury a salué ses qualités et la présentation de son personnage. Originaire de Bohicon, OPA est inspiré par les artistes Angélique Kidjo, Fela Kuti et le mythique groupe Poly-Rythmo.

Cela représente un aboutissement en ce sens que mon objectif a toujours été d'exporter la musique de mon pays (…). Cela me conforte réellement dans le travail que j'ai abattu durant toutes ces années avec mon équipe. Je remercie vraiment RFI pour cette occasion. Merci, infiniment », a-t-il confié.

OPA a été révélé au public avec son titre « Yelian ». Avec son single, « Che Che Che », il gagne le prix de Révélation de l'année aux Bénin Top 10 Awards 2024. Ce prix récompense son talent et son impact sur la scène musicale béninoise avec son premier EP intitulé « Goslow ». En 2025, il s'impose avec Afrocharm un EP de six titres. Il a été sur la scène du festival We Love Eya à Cotonou et sur l'événement End Of The Year du studio Hennessy à Douala fin 2025.

Cette consécration au Prix Découvertes RFI marque une nouvelle étape dans la carrière de OPA, qui s'impose progressivement comme l'une des voix montantes de la scène musicale béninoise et africaine.

A.A.A

Concept digital technology image with CCTV camera surveillance. Credit: ART STOCK CREATIVE / shutterstock.com Source: Institute of Development Studies, UK

By The Institute of Development Studies
BRIGHTON, UK, Mar 17 2026 (IPS)

A massive expansion of AI-enabled surveillance of public spaces across Africa is violating citizens’ freedoms and the fundamental human right to privacy, warns a new report by the Institute of Development Studies.

African governments are paying billions of dollars to Chinese companies for so-called ‘smart city’ products for public space surveillance – including AI-enabled CCTV and control centres – with at least US$2 billion spent to date by the 11 African countries studied in the report.

The researchers stress that these sophisticated mass surveillance products are being rolled out across Africa without the robust legal frameworks needed to protect human rights. They warn that this lack of protection, coupled with the increased capacity and scale of the smart city mass surveillance leaves government critics, such as the political opposition and independent journalists, at high risk of being tracked and targeted by the state.

The report cites concerns across each of the countries studied. For example, in Zimbabwe, specific groups and government critics fear that facial recognition technologies are used to target them. In Mozambique, research finds that the smart CCTV cameras have been deployed in locations where political opposition is concentrated.

Nigeria is Africa’s largest consumer of Chinese mass surveillance technology, with over US$470 million to date spent on facial recognition and automatic car number plate recognition (ANPR). Mauritius was the second largest buyer out of the 11 African countries studied, spending US$456m, and Kenya the third largest with a spend of US$219m on smart city surveillance technology.

The research reveals that while several countries, including Korea, Israel and the USA, supply public space surveillance technologies, the vast majority of the mass smart city surveillance products used across Africa are supplied and funded by Chinese companies.

Dr Tony Roberts, independent digital rights researcher and co-author of the report, says: “Our new research shows that the rapid growth of smart city surveillance in Africa is occurring without adequate legal regulation or oversight. Unregulated surveillance creates a chilling effect that inhibits the right to peaceful protest and reduces the freedom to speak truth to power and hold governments to account.”

“Digital surveillance of terrorists and the most serious criminals can be justified in the public interest, but installing thousands of smart CCTV cameras for the mass surveillance of all citizens – suspected of no crime – violates important human rights.”

The report details that mass surveillance of public space via smart city technology is being introduced across Africa under the pretence of preventing terrorism or crime, but the researchers found no compelling evidence that the imposing of smart surveillance has led to any reduction in terrorism or serious crime. They also found mass surveillance of public space using smart city technology being used even in countries like Zambia and Senegal that have no terrorist threat or serious crime challenges.

Wairagala Wakabi, Executive Director, CIPESA and co-author of the report, said: “These so-called ‘smart city’ surveillance products are anything but smart for those at risk of being tracked and targeted by them.

“This large scale and invasive AI-enabled surveillance of public spaces is not ‘legal, necessary or proportionate’ to the legitimate aim of providing security. Instead, history shows us that this is the latest tool used by governments to invade the privacy of citizens and stifle freedom of movement and expression.”

“The recording, analysing, and retaining of facial images of individuals in public spaces without their consent interferes with their right to privacy. We need governments to be fully transparent about their procurement and use of smart city technology and ensure that the impacts on human rights have been fully assessed and shared with the public.”

The report was authored by researchers from the African Digital Rights Network and provides the most comprehensive analysis of the use of ‘smart’ city technology in 11 African countries: Algeria, Egypt, Kenya, Mauritius, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

Footnote:
At least US$2 billion expenditure on facial recognition and car tracking technologies in 11 countries. The real total is certainly higher because (1) surveillance spending is often secret; (2) no figures were available for two of the 11 countries studied; (3) the public accounts for the other nine countries were incomplete; and (4) this study included only 11 of Africa’s 55 countries.

The African Digital Rights Network is a network of 50 activists, analysts and academics from 20 African countries who are focused on the study of digital citizenship, surveillance and disinformation. It is convened by the Institute of Development Studies (IDS). For further information visit www.africandigitalrightsnetwork.org

The Institute of Development Studies (IDS) delivers world-class research, learning and teaching that transforms the knowledge, action and leadership needed for more equitable and sustainable development globally. IDS, in partnership with the University of Sussex, has been named best in the world for Development Studies in the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2025 for the ninth year in a row.

IPS UN Bureau

 

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Sima Bahous, Executive Director of UN Women, addresses the opening of the Seventieth Session of the Commission on the Status of Women. Credit: UN Photo/Evan Schneider

By Oritro Karim
UNITED NATIONS, Mar 17 2026 (IPS)

The 70th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW70) has brought together global leaders, gender equity advocates, and youth representatives at the United Nations (UN) Headquarters to advance efforts to strengthen mechanisms for justice, equality, and representation for women and girls worldwide. With challenges particularly pronounced in conflict zones, this year’s priority theme —“ensuring and strengthening access to justice for all women and girls — focuses on repealing discriminatory laws and addressing persistent structural barriers that prevent women and girls from being fully heard, represented, and treated equally.

At the opening of the session in March 9, the CSW adopted its Agreed Conclusions, which emphasized the need to improve access to justice for women and girls, following a week of spirited discussions among member states. During these discussions, several countries, including the United States, Argentina, Saudi Arabia, and Russia, proposed objections in which they sought to modify language that strongly supported these reforms and to revisit provisions from previous agreements.

These efforts elicited significant pushback from other member states, who argued that such objections would undermine years of progress in gender equity reforms. The Chair of the CSW ultimately decided to preserve some core elements of previous agreements while incorporating progressive changes.

As the Commission convened to adopt the outcome, efforts to halt these changes were brought forward by the U.S., which argued that the provisions included “controversial” and “ideological” issues. These efforts ultimately failed, gaining votes from only the U.S. Other states, including Egypt and Nigeria, called for a delay in the voting process to allow time for continued negotiations.

“At a time of severe backlash on human rights and multilateralism, the adoption of Agreed Conclusions that safeguard long-standing gender equality standards is a powerful signal that global commitments still matter and that attempts to turn back the clock will not go unchallenged,” said Agnès Callamard, Amnesty International’s Secretary General.

“While the loss of consensus is disappointing, a weakened text – or no outcome at all – would have sent an especially troubling signal to women and girls who continue to face barriers to access to justice, and multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination. In a climate marked by widespread impunity, Amnesty reiterates its calls on states to step up resistance to attacks on gender justice,” added Callamard.

Women currently hold only about 64 percent of the legal rights afforded to men, with “discriminatory laws and patriarchal norms” continuing to impede progress towards justice. These disparities are particularly pronounced in conflict settings, where women and girls face heightened risks of violence, displacement, and exclusion from justice, opportunities, and decision-making.

“We meet at a time of multiple global crises, peace eludes us, and the world is extremely and increasingly fragmented. And gender inequality is compounded by the evils of war and conflict, from Afghanistan to Haiti, to Iran, Myanmar, Palestine, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Ukraine, Yemen, and beyond,” said UN Women Executive Director Sima Bahous at the opening of the 70th session of the CSW. “When women and girls are denied justice, the damage goes far beyond any single case: it impacts the very fabric of our societies and good governance. Public trust erodes, institutions lose legitimacy, and the rule of law itself is weakened. A justice system that fails half the population cannot claim to uphold justice at all.”

Legal protections from discrimination and exploitation, and access to essential services are rapidly eroding, while female human rights defenders are increasingly under attack. Sexual and reproductive health rights are also being rolled back, and the UN has recorded an 87 percent increase in cases of conflict-related sexual violence over the past two years. Women and children in conflict zones continue to bear the heaviest burdens of violence and displacement. Currently, the number of women and girls living within 50 kilometers of deadly conflict is at its highest level in decades.

In commemoration of CSW70, IPS spoke with Anna, a 20 year-old Ukrainian activist and member of the UNICEF Global Girl Leaders Advisory Group. This initiative brings together 14 adolescent girl leaders from around the world who work to ensure that the perspectives of women and girls are represented in global decision-making, and present recommendations directly to the UNICEF Executive Board.

Anna was a teenager studying abroad when the conflict in Ukraine erupted, and was unable to return home to her family near the border. Since then, she has experienced significant challenges as a result of the war, compounded by limited access to essential services, such as education and psychosocial support, many of which have been disrupted or placed under strain by the war.

“When war begins, the changes in society are immediate and visible,” said Anna. “Frontlines move, cities are destroyed, and millions of people are forced to leave their homes. When many men go to the front, women often become the pillars holding communities together – running local initiatives, leading volunteer networks, managing businesses, and supporting families.”

Such shifts also bring structural struggles, as many women are forced to leave their homes and move with their children or elderly relatives. Such displacement can cause loneliness and uncertainty, Anna explained. While women take on more responsibility, inequality does not disappear. “Women still face salary gaps, stereotypes about leadership, and the expectation that they should both rebuild society and quietly carry the emotional labor of caring for everyone else. Stopping to fully process everything can feel impossible, because another responsibility, another task, or another crisis immediately takes its place.”

Anna speaking at a UNICEF-supported event dedicated to discussing the challenges and solutions for girls and young women in Ukraine who are not in education, employment or training. Credit: ISAR Ednannia /Serhii Piriev

In Ukraine today, roughly 32 percent of women aged 20-24 and nearly 49 percent of women aged 25-29 are left without access to education, employment, or training, compared to about 16.4 percent and 12.2 percent of men in the same age groups, respectively. In times of conflict, women are often the first to lose these opportunities and the last to regain them. Education for girls is often hardest-hit, as families are displaced and conflicts leave girls to take on added responsibilities to their families and support household incomes. Many are forced to drop out of school to keep their families afloat.

“My own educational journey has been deeply shaped by war. I was first displaced to Poland, and when I returned to Kharkiv for my senior year, continuing my studies was far from easy,” said Anna. “I consider myself incredibly privileged. I had a supportive family that believed in me and helped me keep going. But not every girl has that kind of support system – someone to catch her when she begins to fall behind.”

Additionally, the psychosocial strain of conflict and violence often leaves girls ill-equipped to engage in studies or training programs. With mechanisms for justice, healing, and empowerment for women and girls under attack, these challenges often go unheard, and impunity for sexual violence and abuse persists, leaving girls carrying significant amounts of trauma, anxiety, depression, and fear.

“Girls in crisis often carry a kind of psychological burden that is both invisible and personal – it is not only the direct exposure to violence, but the way war quietly settles into everyday life and into the body,” said Anna. “For many women and girls living near conflict zones, mental health is shaped by the constant proximity to violence. “You wake up, check the news, hear another siren, and feel what we call in Ukrainian a ‘ком в горлі’,’ or a lump in the throat.”

Sexual violence is particularly rampant near conflict zones, with Anna noting a persistent “climate of fear that reaches every woman who hears the story”. She added that many girls in Ukraine grow up with the knowledge that their bodies can become targets of violence. While girls are in school, studying for exams, or volunteering, many carry the awareness that women nearby have endured “unimaginable violence”.

According to a UN report, nearly 54 percent of surveyed countries reported having laws that do not correlate rape with the basis of consent, and roughly 75 percent of surveyed countries have laws that permit the forced marriage of a girl child. Additionally, 44 percent of countries lack laws that guarantee equal pay for women and girls. It is estimated that it could take 286 years to eliminate these gaps.

“The justice women and girls deserve, that is theirs by right, cannot wait. We must collectively pursue it, here at the United Nations, in our national laws and policies, in your court rooms and traditional justice mechanisms. In doing so, we must engage all of society, including men and boys and young people, to contribute to our collective effort for equality,” said Bahous.

IPS UN Bureau Report

 

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La Slovénie se rend aux urnes dimanche 22 mars, et la campagne est dominée par les « révélations » de comptes anonymes ou d'influenceurs liés à l'opposition sur les réseaux sociaux. Les sondages donnent celle-ci au coude-à-coude avec l'actuelle coalition de gauche. Six à sept partis pourraient entrer au Parlement.

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