Kidnapping by militants in Western Africa is nothing new. However, security experts say many criminals are now abducting women and children to use them as bargaining chips for political attention and fundraising.

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is planning a peacekeeping force to intervene against jihadism in its member states and in the event of coups.

An international team of scientists believe severe flooding in Nigeria and surrounds was considerably worsened by climate change and believe the trend could continue.

Nigeria and Morocco sign a deal to build the world's longest offshore gas pipeline. When it’s completed in over 20 years’ time, it will connect 15 West African nations and eventually lead on to Europe's shores.

Stacks of hairy yams line a market in Ibadan, Nigeria, where traders haggle over quality and price before loading them into cars for the last mile to consumers. Nearby, a man navigates heavy traffic with a hand cart piled high with the tubers. Yams - pounded into paste, ground into flour, boiled or fried – provide sustenance and livelihoods across West Africa.

The French president has kicked off a tour of Cameroon, Benin and Guinea-Bissau at a time when French influence in Africa is being called into question in several countries.

Adire is a resist-dyed cloth produced and worn by the Yoruba people of southwestern Nigeria in West Africa. The Yoruba label Adire, which means "tied and dyed," was first applied to indigo-dyed cloth decorated with resist patterns around the turn of the twentieth century. GuardianTV takes a look at the art and fashion of Adire.

The government of Burkina Faso said last week that it had averted a plot by armed forces to take over the country. This attempted coup in Burkina Faso comes hot on the heels of military take-overs in Mali as well as in Guinea.

The government of Burkina Faso said last week that it had averted a plot by armed forces to take over the country. This attempted coup in Burkina Faso comes hot on the heels of military take-overs in Mali as well as in Guinea.

A coup in Burkina Faso follows military takeovers in Guinea and Mali as civilian administrations are blamed for a failure to tackle a rise in insurgent violence.

Regional leaders from the ECOWAS group of countries have called for elections in Guinea following a military coup. It is the second country in the region now under the rule of a junta.

The ECOWAS bloc called on Guinea to return to "normal constitutional order" after President Alpha Conde was deposed in a coup by special forces.