diene

They met when Diene was visiting a shelter in northern Senegal where Woppa was speaking about her advocacy against gender-based violence.

Senegalese writing duo Mame Bougouma Diene and Woppa Diallo have won this year's prestigious Caine Prize for African writing, making it the first time a pair has won the award.

"I hope she grows up as strong-willed, passionate and engaged in life and with issues as her mother," Diene said.

“The elections… will only be able to usher in a new era of stability in Burundi if the electoral process is conducted in a peaceful and secure manner,” Doudou Diène, the president of the UN Commission of Inquiry on Burundi, said.

Her sentiment was echoed by Moussa Diene, 44, an American citizen who said he is stuck in Casablanca and running low on his diabetes medication.