AFRICA
Opinion: The End of a Political Taboo in Côte d’Ivoire
For years, criticizing President Alassane Ouattara in Côte d’Ivoire has often led to accusations of xenophobia, effectively silencing dissent and debate. In this insightful opinion piece, political and international affairs consultant Eric Agnero argues that this era is finally coming to an end. Agnero contends that the very forces that once championed inclusion are now perpetuating exclusion, making it imperative to re-establish legitimate political criticism free from identity-based attacks. He challenges the current administration’s narrative, asserting that questioning the president’s practices is not xenophobia, but a demand for true democratic principles and equality for all Ivorian citizens.
Criticizing ADO Without Being Labeled Xenophobic: The End of a Political Taboo
By Eric Agnero – Political Communication and International Affairs Consultant
For three decades, Alassane Ouattara and his supporters built a large part of their political legitimacy on a posture of being victims of exclusion. Marginalized during the “Ivorianness” years, they loudly championed a discourse of rupture: it was necessary, they said, to forever cast aside this deadly logic, turn the page on identity-based discrimination, and rebuild a Republic of justice and equality. This powerful discourse resonated with the hope of a new era.
But today, the facts speak for themselves: Alassane Ouattara’s power, consolidated for over ten years, is now doing the excluding. It narrows the political field to its loyalists, marginalizes critical voices, and drags its feet on delivering a certificate of nationality to a member of the Houphouët-Boigny family.
How can we understand that those who suffered so much from being treated as second-class citizens are today the first to brandish citizenship as an instrument of political purging?
From a Discourse of Reconciliation to the Reality of Exclusion
Upon his accession to power, Alassane Ouattara affirmed the need to cast out hatred, bury the ghosts of Ivorianness, and create a climate of unity. He promised an impartial state where origin would no longer be a fault line.
Yet, under his governance, the famous ethnic “catch-up” became a doctrine for accessing positions of responsibility. The promise of justice morphed into assumed favoritism, and reconciliation remained a slogan without genuine implementation.
The confiscation of a Houphouët descendant’s certificate of nationality is not a simple administrative blunder. It is a political act. A signal sent to those who, even within the historic PDCI camp, would dare to criticize or question the established order.
Disarming the Blackmail of Xenophobia
For a long time, criticizing Alassane Ouattara meant exposing oneself to being labeled a xenophobe. The past had left real wounds, and those in power knew how to mobilize them to muzzle dissent. But today, this strategy is reaching its limits: it can no longer mask the reality of a power that reproduces the very flaws it claimed to combat.
Those who, only yesterday, called for inclusion are now acting through exclusion. Those who accused others of Ivorianness are practicing variable-geometry nationality.
Criticizing Alassane Ouattara is therefore not an attack against his origins. It is a challenge to his practices. It is a demand that the government respect its commitments, that citizenship be guaranteed to all, and that democracy no longer be confiscated.
I myself have been called every name by “elder brothers” for whom I had immense intellectual respect. I will not mention their names here to spare them embarrassment: gorged on bile and the stringy soup of the republican restaurant, they would undoubtedly choke on an embarrassed burp.
Reinstating Political Criticism
For those of us who truly knew what we were dealing with, it is finally a relief to be able to bring back, after thirty years of wandering, the central question: do we want to live in medieval kingdoms, or sincerely embrace democracy?
It is time for Ivorian political debate to free itself from the frivolity of identity-based accusations. That one can, in this country, question power without being sent back to supposed hatreds. That contradiction is no longer equated with treason.
The new Ivorian generation aspires to a politics of merit, transparency, and ethics. It no longer wants a Republic where citizenship becomes a weapon, where political affiliation determines access to fundamental rights.
The Broken Mirror
The RHDP (ruling party) can no longer continue to brandish the memory of exclusion to legitimize exclusion. It can no longer drape itself in Houphouëtism while sidelining those who embodied it.
Yes, criticizing Ouattara is legitimate. No, it does not make us xenophobes. It makes us demanding citizens. And that is the true Republic.
AFRICA
Cameroon’s Election: Biya’s Eighth Term Fuels Protests and Widens Divide
YAOUNDÉ, CAMEROON — At 92, President Paul Biya has won Cameroon’s latest presidential election, extending his 43-year grip on power. Representing the Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement (CPDM), Biya secured 53.66% of the vote, according to the Constitutional Council, while his main rival, Issa Tchiroma Bakary—a former ally now turned critic—trailed with 35.19%.
Protests Erupt Amid Claims of Fraud
The announcement has sparked outrage instead of celebration. Opposition leaders and activists have dismissed the results, accusing the government of rigging the vote. Tchiroma Bakary, who declared himself the winner before the official tally, called the election a “sham” and rallied his supporters to protest.
In cities like Douala, anger has spilled into the streets. Clashes between protesters and security forces have led to injuries and arrests, with young Cameroonians, fed up with decades under the same ruler, chanting for change and demanding their voices be heard.
A Nation Divided
Biya’s latest victory means more of the same for Cameroon—a government that promises stability but struggles with corruption, sluggish economic growth despite rich resources, and a lingering conflict in the Anglophone regions. With over 70% of Cameroonians under 35, many feel disconnected from a leadership that seems out of touch. Young people are increasingly vocal, pushing for a new generation to take the helm.
The world is watching. While some foreign leaders may send congratulations, Cameroon’s handling of the election and the unrest that follows will shape its ties with global partners and donors.
For Cameroon’s youth, another seven years of Biya feels like a rerun of a story they’re tired of living. The big question now is whether the government can find a way to connect with a generation demanding a say in their country’s future.
Afroradar.com will keep tracking the situation, bringing you updates and insights on Cameroon’s shifting political scene.
AFRICA
Ghana in Mourning After Deadly Helicopter Crash Wipes Out Top Officials
Ghana is still struggling to come to terms with a tragic military helicopter crash which killed eight people, including two government ministers and other top officials, on the morning of August 6, 2025.
The downed Ghanaian Air Force helicopter belonged to the Z-9 model and took off again from Accra en route to Obuasi at 09:12am but crashed after departure. They immediately began search efforts when the aircraft did not respond to radio contact. The helicopter was later reported to have crashed into a tree in the Adansi Akrofuom District of Ashanti Region, where it caught fire and burnt beyond recognition.
The crash killed Defense Minister Edward Omane Boamah, Environment, Science and Technology Minister Ibrahim Murtala Mohammed, Acting Deputy National Security Coordinator Muniru Mohammed, National Democratic Congress Vice Chairman Samuel Sarpong and former Parliamentary Candidate Samuel Aboagye as well as Squadron Leader Peter Bafemi Anala, Flying Officer Twum Ampadu and Sergeant Ernest Addo Mensah who were members of the crew.
National tragedy, Chief of Staff Julius Debrah declared during a press conference in the capital As the country mourns, flags are being flown at half mast on all government buildings as ordered by the government.
Rescue crews were on scene by 4 a.m., but by then the fire was so intense that little remained of the wreckage. It is not yet clear what prompted the crash — they are examining whether it could have been a technical fault or adverse weather conditions. The occurrence harks back to a military helicopter that crash-landed inside the Western Region in March 2024, but no one was injured in that accident.
The crash happened as Dr. Frank Amoakohene, the Minister for the Ashanti Region, was addressing an anti-galamsey event in Obuasi He rushed away to assist in coordinating the emergency response at the scene.
The government has vowed to provide support for the families of victims amid a wide probe to determine what led to the tragedy. At the moment, Ghana now awaits details of what might have caused such a tragic loss of lives.
AFRICA
Fuel Price Protests Turn Violent in Angola’s Capital
Angolans Protesting High Fuel Prices in Capital Destroy Property in Marches Demonstrations in the streets of Luanda turned violent, and the police shot live bullets and tear gas.
Luanda, Angola — A peaceful strike by transport workers turned violent on Monday when the protesters took to the streets here to denounce a government measure to increase the price of fuel to 400 kwanzas a liter from about 300 kwanzas. The unrest has left businesses vandalized, residents shaken and questions swirling over the financial future of Angola.
The evening also brought burning tires and shattered storefronts along Broadway from 3rd to 7th. Two athletic sneaker stores and a T-Mobile store fared the worst — their windows smashed and their booty scattered. Video clips that made the rounds on social media showed protesters yanking buses to a halt and forcing them to discharge their passengers, and confronting drivers who were reluctant to join the three-day strike.
“The people are starving, and the government is killing us,” said Adilson Manuel, who is the spokesman for the social movement against the fuel hike. His comments echoed the frustration of many Angolans, who see the price jump as the latest blow to households already struggling with unemployment and an uptick in prices.
July 4, Angola’s government lifted fuel subsidies as part of an ongoing plan to reduce spending to comply with International Monetary Fund conditions under an economy support loan program to the heavily indebted African nation. It’s a paradox not lost on demonstrators: Despite its status as one of the world’s top oil-producing countries, Angola has to import most of its refined fuel because it lacks sufficient domestic refining capacity.
The figures and statistics paint a harsh picture for everyday Angolans. They increased taxi fares to 300 kwanzas a ride and a public bus ride in the city now costs 200 kwanzas. “It’s intolerable that the government is always trying to make our lives more difficult,” said one street vendor, Custodia dos Santos.
The police response was swift and brutal. The riot police and gendarmes used tear gas, batons and rubber bullets to push back protesters in a demonstration on 12 July, in which nine people were injured and 17 others arrested. One protester remains in custody, charged with the incitement of violence. Police claimed the protesters were going beyond agreed-upon routes — a charge organizers vehemently deny.
The crackdown reflects broader tensions within Angola, where the ruling MPLA party has held power for five decades. The signing into law of a contentious piece of legislation by President João Lourenço in August 2024 that imposes prison sentences of up to 25 years for damage caused during protests, has come in for heavy criticism from human rights groups accusing it of being designed to suffocate opposition.
The police violence against protesters in Angola is stomach-churning,” said Khanyo Farisè of Amnesty International, which found a pattern across 11 protests from 2020 to 2025 that left a minimum of 17 dead, with no officer held responsible.
The government has accused the opposition of fomenting the protests ahead of the election that will see multimillionaires in 2027, particularly UNITA. UNITA shot back, condemning the “autocratic attitude” of the police and heavy-handedness.
Defying even as the strike drags on.” Activist Laura Macedo has called for a stay-at-home strike, and organisers are working on a petition to the president, João Lourenço, and finance minister, Vera Daves, demanding Abreu’s decision is reversed.
The unrest has exposed a growing chasm between the rulers of Angola and a public that increasingly feels sidelined by policies prioritizing fiscal rectitude over social justice. We are facing hunger, the whole country is facing hunger, but our president is paying no attention at all.
With violence escalating and negotiations stalled, Angola hangs on the precipice of something. Here is the question now: Will leadership hear the voices of the streets, or will it seek to double down on a course that can only deepen the estrangement of the people from the people who govern them?
- Track the rest of this unfolding story (if that’s what it is) on Afroradar. com. *
Afroradar. com condemns violence of any kind, and not withstanding the newsworthiness of the circumstances surrounding the public protests, does not condone the use of vandalism and property destruction. We call for peaceful dialogue and an end to violence through credible, inclusive leadership, and we continue to demand accountability consistent with the will of the Malian people.
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