Government forces in Burkina Faso killed over twice as many civilians as militant jihadist groups over a two-year period, according to a study by Human Rights Watch, which accused both sides of war crimes and crimes against humanity. According to the report, of the 1,837 civilians killed in the country between January 2023 and August 2025, more than 1,200 were the result of government forces. Over 2 million people are estimated to have been displaced since the conflict began, according to the

The sharpest setbacks were linked to a wave of military takeovers in the Sahel and parts of central Africa, International IDEA said.

Australia's internet watchdog is investigating five major social media platforms for allegedly not complying with a world-first social media ban for under 16s, the government in Canberra said on Tuesday. Under the new law, which took effect in December, under 16s are no longer allowed to have their own accounts on 10 major social media platforms.