Benin's position not to allow ships carrying Nigerien crude oil to enter the ports in Benin threatened the survival of Niger's military junta. More than 90,000 barrels of crude per day were earmarked for shipping to China through a pipeline that travels through Benin.

France has declared a state of emergency in its overseas territory of New Caledonia. Violence over a planned constitutional reform is threatening its already struggling economy. Plus, Boeing may face the criminal prosecution it had avoided back in 2021, with the US Justice Department accusing the planemaker of violating the terms of the deferred prosecution deal.

In tonight's edition, Ousmane Sonko slams the French military presence in Senegal, saying that the foreign military bases are incompatible with the country's sovereignty.

Governments face increased borrowing, taxes and public sector cuts to finance their soaring military budgets. European NATO members are set to spend a record $380 billion on defense this year — a tough sell to voters.

Former South African President Jacob Zuma has been barred from standing in next week's elections - after the country's top court disqualified him over a previous criminal conviction. Reactions flow in after Sunday's attempted coup in the DRC - which saw three people killed close to the presidential palace. And we follow the first professional female kora player, Sona Jobarteh who's shaking up old traditions.

Angola, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, Sao Tome and Principe, and Equitorial Guinea — are on the African continent, only two of which — Cape Verde, and Sao Tome and Principe — condemned Russia's war of aggression in United Nations General Assembly resolutions.