• Mali jails journalist Chahana Takiou and activist Adama Diarra, renewing concerns over shrinking civic space. • Burkina Faso's Prime Minister warns the United Nations must not become a channel for foreign interference. • In Ghana, opposition NPP announces nationwide "Democracy Under Attack" protest, citing threats to democratic governance and the rule of law. • And in The Gambia, a pressure group urges President Adama Barrow to publicly rule out a third-term bid.