“We've received information that over 80 civilians were killed on January 12 in an area called Daletti,” in Ethiopia's Benishangul-Gumuz region, Aaron Maasho, an advisor and spokesman for the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission, told AFP. Opposition politicians have described the violence as ethnically motivated, alleging a targeted campaign by ethnic Gumuz militias against members of other ethnic groups in the area, including the Amhara, Ethiopia’s second-largest group.

Central African Republic President Faustin-Archange Touadera was reelected in the first round of the December 27 election with 53.9 percent of the vote, the electoral commission announced Monday, delivering results that must be officially validated by the constitutional court after possible appeals.

In a field of 15 contenders, the runner-up was former Prime Minister Anicet Georges Dologuele, who scored 21.01 percent. Dologuele immediately cried foul, telling AFP, "It's a farce. There were many irregularities and instances of fraud."

In what UN Women describes as the “shadow pandemic,” rates of violence against women have soared since the public health and economic crises brought about by COVID-19. With stay-at-home orders in place in countries around the world, women are more susceptible than ever to domestic violence. In countries affected by conflict or repressive rule, all forms of sexual and gender-based violence are on the rise. The ICTJ Gender Modules offer a timely tool to raise awareness about these issues and help develop gender-sensitive responses to them. 

Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara was inaugurated Monday for a third term in office amid ongoing outcries from opposition parties.