Kenyan President William Ruto has dismissed his entire cabinet following anti-government protests and military crackdown. Ruto’s earlier withdrawal of a controversial finance bill has done little to pacify citizens and calls for his resignation.

Burkina Faso, Niger, and Mali reaffirmed their exit from ECOWAS and their formation of the Alliance of Sahel States in a summit on July 6. During a meeting in Abuja the following day, ECOWAS appealed to the withdrawn states for reintegration. In related news, the regional body’s Court of Justice has ruled that the Nigerian government committed human rights abuses by shooting EndSARS protestors in 2020, ordering 10 million naira in compensation per victim.

• Brenda Biya, daughter of Cameroon’s President Paul Biya, has come out as lesbian and advocated for the repeal of anti-LGBTQ laws in the country. (Interview in French).
• Maureen Achebe, daughter of Nigerian novelist Chinua Achebe, wins Harvard Medical School award.
• Zimbabwe’s latest attempt at a stable currency has been commended by international actors, but remains scarce.

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Image: Alliance of Sahel States woven in a decorative mat. 9 March 2024. Photo credit: Barke11, CC BY-SA 4.0.