Senegalese army seizes cannabis fields and rebel forest bases

This week has seen a new chancellor take the helm in Germany: Olaf Scholz is leading a never-tried-before coalition of his own Social Democrats, as well as the Greens and pro-business Liberals. They come to office promising to get a hold on Covid-19, keep the economy stable – and bring some liberal changes to the EU's biggest economy, including the legalisation of recreational cannabis.

Though some countries in the EU have decriminalized cannabis, the island nation is the first to legalize recreational use and cultivation for adults. Germany and Luxembourg are expected to follow suit early next year.

A video that shows park rangers in a helicopter in Central African Republic has been used to incorrectly point the finger at the French army for supporting terrorists in Mali. We take a closer look in this edition of Truth or Fake.

Heavy gunfire could be heard coming from several military camps in Burkina Faso early on Sunday (January 23), the government said, but it denied the military had seized power. Heavy arms fire at the capital Ouagadougou's Sangoule Lamizana camp, which houses the army's general staff and a prison whose inmates include soldiers involved in a failed 2015 coup attempt, began at least as early as 5:00 a.m. (0500 GMT), a Reuters reporter said. The reporter later saw soldiers firing into the air in the camp. A witness also reported gunfire at a military camp in Kaya, around 100 kms (62 miles) north of Ouagadougou.

After being driven out of Uganda, the Lord's Resistance Army ran riot in the Central African Republic, where it behaved more like a criminal gang than a terrorist militia. Now the LRA's days seem to be numbered.

This week on The Observers, we investigated an incident in Nia Ouro, Mali on January 4. Residents claimed that men dressed in Malian military uniforms killed four civilians and reduced buildings in the village to ashes. We spoke to an eyewitness, analysed videos taken after the event and cross-referenced satellite imagery to put together the days events.

France says nearly 60 fighters from Islamist militias were killed in the days leading up to the coup. The jihadists were killed by forces involved with Operation Barkhane led by France.

The US said the leader of the so-called "Islamic State" was "taken off the battlefield" in a raid in northwestern Syria. Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi blew himself up during the raid, President Joe Biden said.

When fiction is portrayed as fact: a French film is hijacked to stir anti-Ukrainian sentiment in Chechnya. In this edition of Truth or Fake, we also debunk yet more claims that President Volodymyr Zelensky and his wife have fled the country.

Africa's rapidly developing cannabis industry could soon supply the entire world. Uganda is already cultivating medical cannabis for the German pharmaceutical market.

Tensions between Israelis and Palestinians have been running high in recent days. Israeli forces have carried out fresh raids in the West Bank after a spate of recent deadly attacks.

Former child soldiers are providing new information about the leader of the notorious Lord's Resistance Army. Kony has been on the run since 2005 when the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant.