Latest from Tom Collins
![Algerians Are Ho-Hum About Upcoming Election](https://newlinesmag.com/wp-content/uploads/GettyImages-1201687335.jpg)
Algerians Are Ho-Hum About Upcoming Election
But now, as Algeria approaches its Sept. 7 presidential election, a widespread indifference permeates the nation’s politics. The outcome seems predetermined, with incumbent President Abdelmadjid Tebboune heavily favored to win. This widespread apathy contrasts sharply with the turbulence surrounding the 2019 presidential election.
![Benin Faces Down the Threat From Jihadists in the Western Sahel](https://newlinesmag.com/wp-content/uploads/BENIN-SOLDIERS-web.jpg)
Benin Faces Down the Threat From Jihadists in the Western Sahel
To fight jihadists coming over the border from neighboring Burkina Faso, which was recently overrun by a brutal Islamist insurgency, Benin has set up secret military bases in national parks, equipped its soldiers with sophisticated weapons and is using high-tech satellite imagery to track the militants.
![Ivory Coast’s Crackdown on Child Labor Clashes With the Realities of Cocoa Farming](https://newlinesmag.com/wp-content/uploads/GettyImages-962374028-web.jpg)
Ivory Coast’s Crackdown on Child Labor Clashes With the Realities of Cocoa Farming
There are an estimated 800,000 child laborers in Ivory Coast’s cocoa industry, the majority of whom work on small plantations. For many years, the focus has been on the abuse of children in industrial cocoa production, turning a blind eye to those at the smallholder level who have also suffered many abuses.