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Tag: Burkina Faso

  • “No country has developed under democracy, we’re in a revolution in Burkina Faso -Captain Ibrahim Traore declares

    “No country has developed under democracy, we’re in a revolution in Burkina Faso -Captain Ibrahim Traore declares

    President Ibrahim Traore has declared to the people of Burkina Faso in a televise speech that the country is not in a democracy but in a revolution.

    The Captain and President of Burkina Faso said a country cannot develop under democracy. He said in his speech:

    “We are not in a democracy, we are in a revolution,”

    “If we have to say it loud and clear here, we are not in a democracy, we are in a popular, progressive revolution.”

    “Everyone needs to understand this. It’s even more surprising that those who are supposed to be intellectuals, who have been to school, can imagine that a country can develop in democracy, that’s false. It’s not possible to name a single country that has developed in democracy. Democracy is only the end result. We must necessarily go through a revolution, and we are indeed in a revolution. For those who haven’t yet understood this, we’re still saying it loud and clear.”

    “We will continue to play our role of communicating, explaining, and making people understand what our revolution is. So this question of democracy or libertinism of action or expression has no place. As much as you think you are free to speak and act, the other is also free to speak and act, and there we end up with a society of disorder.”

    The President has been into actions that negates democracy since he became president in 2022 and has been doing what most Africans feel are impossible such as breaking ties with foreign countries such as France and others, changing western law official wears to Burkina cultural atire which include school uniforms etc.

  • ECOWAS cautious as Mali, B/Faso , Niger exit bloc today

    ECOWAS cautious as Mali, B/Faso , Niger exit bloc today

    The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) says the withdrawal of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger from ECOWAS becomes effective from Jan. 29th, the commission stated on Wednesday.

    The commission’s spokesperson, Joel Ahofodji, explained that it is in line with the decision of the ECOWAS authority, and in the spirit of regional solidarity and interest of the people.

    He added that the bloc was still open to their return whenever they wanted.

    The bloc urged all relevant authorities within and outside ECOWAS Member States to take note of the development.

    The commission urged recognition of the national passports and identity cards bearing ECOWAS logo held by the citizens of Burkina Faso, the Republic of Mali and the Republic of Niger, until further notice.

    It also urged all concerned to continue to treat goods and services coming from the three countries in accordance with the ECOWAS Trade Liberalisation Scheme (ETLS) and investment policy.

    ECOWAS also urged them to allow citizens of the three affected countries to continue to enjoy the right of visa free movement, residence and establishment in accordance with the ECOWAS protocols until further notice.

    The commission also urged all to provide full support and cooperation to ECOWAS officials from the three countries in the course of their assignments for the community.

    “These arrangements will be in place until the full determination of the modalities of our future engagement with the three countries by the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government.

    “The Commission has set up a structure to facilitate discussions on these modalities with each of the three countries.

    “This message is necessary to avoid confusion and disruption in the lives and businesses of our people during this transition period,” Ahofodji added.

    NAN reports that the three Sahel countries had on Jan. 29, 2024, declared their intention to quit ECOWAS within 12 months in line with the bloc’s protocol.

    The ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government on Dec. 2024 approved the three countries’ right to quit but said their doors were still open to return.

  • COLONIAL MENTALITY! Burkina Faso bans judicial wigs to embrace cultural identity

    COLONIAL MENTALITY! Burkina Faso bans judicial wigs to embrace cultural identity

    In a historic attempt to decolonise the country’s judiciary, President Ibrahim Traoré of Burkina Faso has formally banned judges from wearing wigs from the British and French colonial eras.

    President Traoré emphasised in his announcement the importance of eschewing colonial-era traditions and implementing customs that respect Burkina Faso’s cultural identity.

    The action is in line with his larger plan to fortify national identity and declare the nation’s autonomy from outside influences.

    The colonial wigs, which have traditionally stood for outside authority in African legal systems, are gradually being abandoned.

  • Burkina Faso Military junta dissolves Government, sacks PM

    Burkina Faso Military junta dissolves Government, sacks PM

    Burkina Faso’s ruling military leader on Friday sacked the country’s prime minister and dissolved the government, via a presidential decree.

    The sacked premier had served at the head of three successive governments, surviving each reshuffle.

    No reason was given for the dismissal of Apollinaire Joachim Kyelem de Tambela, who was named as premier in October 2022 after the coup that brought Captain Ibrahim Traore to power.

    “The Prime Minister’s official functions are terminated,” said the decree, adding that members of the dissolved government would “carry out ongoing business until the formation of a new government.”

    The West African country was plunged into instability by a January 2022 coup in which Lieutenant-Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba seized power.

    Little more than eight months later, Damiba himself was overthrown by Traore, 36, who now heads the junta regime.

    Damiba, who ousted elected president Roch Marc Christian Kabore, is currently in exile in neighbouring Togo.

    Burkina Faso has allied with fellow Sahel nations Mali and Niger, which are also led by military juntas following a string of coups since 2020.

    The three nations joined together last September under the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), after severing ties with former colonial ruler France and pivoting towards Russia.

    Burkina Faso was a French colony for the first half of the 20th century, and relations have soured with Paris following the 2022 coup.

    Foreign Minister, Karamoko Jean-Marie Traore, last month said Burkina Faso’s cooperation with Russia “better suited” his country than its historic ties with France.

    Along with Mali and Niger, Burkina Faso announced in January they were turning their backs on the Economic Community of West African States — ECOWAS — an organisation they accused of being manipulated by Paris.

  • 200 killed in Burkina Faso terror attack; UN reacts

    200 killed in Burkina Faso terror attack; UN reacts

    UN Secretary-General António Guterres has strongly condemned the killing of around 200 people in the Burkinabe town of Barsalogho at the weekend, which left a further 140 injured.

    According to news reports, it was the latest terror attack by the Al Qaeda-linked militant group known as Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM) in the north of the West African country which has captured large areas of territory in recent years.

    JNIM is  one of the armed groups which have moved into Burkina Faso from neighbouring Mali, contributing to a major security crisis which has resulted in two military coups during 2022.

    Scores of the wounded were evacuated to healthcare facilities in the nearby city of Kaya.

    The attack on Saturday by the suspected jihadists tool place as residents of Barsalogho were reportedly digging trenches around the town to protect it from assault.

    UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric. in a statement on Tuesday in New York, said that the UN chief extended his condolences to the families of the victims and people of Burkina Faso.

    “The secretary-general expresses his solidarity with the transition authorities in their fight against terrorism and calls on them to ensure that those responsible for these despicable acts are held to account,” he said.

    Dujarric also reported that UN humanitarians working in the area of the “terrible attack” described conditions overall as “pretty horrific”.

    “According to local officials, at least 90,000 displaced people were living in Barsalogho as of 2023.

    He said, “These families had sought refuge there from insecurity in surrounding areas, and their arrival placed an additional strain on local services and supplies.’’

    The UN Spokesperson said all of the province where Barsalogho is located is facing acute hunger, adding that insecurity in surrounding areas has also made it much more difficult to provide aid in Barsalogho.

    Since 2022, access to the area for aid agencies has mostly been limited to helicopter transport.

  • Despite pleas to return, Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso military leaders celebrate divorce from ECOWAS

    Despite pleas to return, Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso military leaders celebrate divorce from ECOWAS

    …endorse Confederation Treaty

    Despite pleas to return, the military regimes of Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso marked their divorce from the rest of West Africa Saturday, with Niger’s ruling general saying the junta-led countries have “turned their backs on” the regional bloc.

    Notably, Senegal’s new President Bassirou Diomaye Faye said in late May that reconciliation between ECOWAS and the three Sahel countries was possible.

    In June, his newly re-elected Mauritanian counterpart, President Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani, called on West African countries to unite again against the expansion of jihadism.

    But successive summits on the same weekend raises fears of a stiffening of positions between AES and ECOWAS.

    “I do not see the AES countries seeking to return to ECOWAS. I think it’s ECOWAS will have to tone it down (the situation),” Nigerien lawyer Djibril Abarchi told AFP.

    While AES is currently an economic and defence cooperation body, its three member countries have repeatedly expressed their desire to go further.

    At the end of June, Colonel Goita assured that cooperation within the AES had taken “a path of no return” during a visit to Ouagadougou, Burkina’s capital.

    The potential creation of a new common currency would also mean leaving behind the CFA franc they currently share with neighbouring countries.

    “Leaving a currency zone is not easy,” warned Yabi. “Any country can change its currency, but it takes a lot of time and requires a clear political choice as well as a technical and financial preparation process.”

    Issoufou Kado, a Nigerien financial expert and political analyst, agreed: “They have to be very careful, because the mechanism takes time.”

  • Burkina Faso junta extends regime for another five years

    Burkina Faso junta extends regime for another five years

    The Junta regime in Burkina Faso who took over the reigns of affairs in the country in 2022 has announced it will will extend its rule for five years under an accord adopted during national consultations on Saturday, the talks’ chairman said.

    “The duration of the transition is fixed at 60 months from July 2, 2024,” Colonel Moussa Diallo, chairman of the organizing committee of the national dialogue process, said after the talk.

    According to the coup leader and acting president Ibrahim Traore can run in any elections at the end of the transition period.

    What was supposed to be a two-day national dialogue began earlier Saturday, ostensibly to chart a way back to civilian rule for the West African nation beset by jihadist violence.

    The army has governed Burkina Faso since 2022, carrying out two coups that it justified in large part due to the country’s persistent insecurity.

    Jihadist rebels affiliated with Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group have waged a grinding insurgency since 2015 that has killed thousands and displaced millions.

    An initial national dialogue adopted a charter that installed Traore as president, and put in place a government and a legislative assembly.

    Under the new charter agreed Saturday, quotas will no longer be used to assign members of traditional parties seats in the assembly. Instead, “patriotism” will be deemed the only criteria to select deputies.

    The initial charter set the duration of the transition to civilian rule at 21 months with the deadline due to expire on July 1, but Traore had repeatedly warned that holding elections will be difficult given the perilous security situation.

     

  • Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger finalize plans to form Confederation of the Alliance of Sahel States

    Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger finalize plans to form Confederation of the Alliance of Sahel States

    Plans to form a bloc by the military administration of  three West Africa countries, Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger have reached final stage.

    The three countries will form Confederation of the Alliance of Sahel States few years after turning their backs on former colonial ruler France to seek closer ties with Russia.

    The foreign ministers of the three West African countries met Friday in Niger’s capital Niamey to agree on a text establishing the Confederation of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES).

    “The objective was to finalise the draft text relating to the institutionalisation and operationalisation of the Confederation of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES)”, said Niger Foreign Minister Bakary Yaou Sangare as he read the final statement late Friday.

    According to Sangare, the text would be adopted by the heads of state of the three countries at a summit, without specifying the date.

    “We can consider very clearly, today, that the Confederation of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) has been born,” Malian Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Diop said after meeting General Abdourahamane Tiani, the head of Nigerien military regime.

    The third foreign minister at the meeting was Burkina Faso’s Karamoko Jean-Marie Traore.

    The Sahel region has been subject to deadly jihadist violence for years, which they accused France of not being able to curb.

    The three countries said late January they were quitting The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), which they said was under French influence, to create their own regional grouping.

  • Flamingos coach reacts after beating Burkina Faso 6-0

    Flamingos coach reacts after beating Burkina Faso 6-0

    Bankole Olowookere, head coach of Nigeria’s  Under 17 Female Football team, the  Flamingos, said his team will start preparation immediately ahead of their next match.

    Flamingos on Saturday defeated Burkina Faso 6-0 at the Moshood Abiola stadium, Abuja in the second leg match of the qualify match of the 2024 FIFA Under 17 Women’s World Cup.

    Olowookere  who told newsmen after defeating Burkinabes, said  that the team was determined to win the return leg .

    ”We Congratulate the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) for giving us this platform for trusting and believing in us,

    ”I will also thank the media for helping us to have this crowd that came to support the girls.

    “We are able to make Nigerians proud again even though we played 1-1 in the first leg this was the opportunity for us to fight back.

    “We want to know the next opponent between Senegal and Liberia to know how to strategise for the game in June,”he said.

    Also spekaing, Afolabi Taiwo, the captain of Flamingos said the players came with the  determination to win the game.

    “It was a nice game, we all played as a team we thank God for the result of the game.

    “We are playing Senegal or Liberia in the final round of the qualifying match before the world cup.

    “We will continue to fight to win the last match,”she said.

    On his part, Usman Coulibaly, the coach of Burkina Faso, said the girls played well even though they lost the return match.

    “These are young girls we are building for the future, they tried their best in game,” he said.

    The FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup 2024 will take place in the Dominican Republic from Oct. 16 to Nov.3.

  • Dominican Republic 2024: Flamingos thrash Burkinabe girls 6-0 to cruise into final round

    Dominican Republic 2024: Flamingos thrash Burkinabe girls 6-0 to cruise into final round

    Nigeria reached the final round of the African qualification series for this year’s FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup finals after a 6-0 defeat of Burkina Faso at the MKO Abiola National Stadium, Abuja on Saturday evening.

    Goal-poacher Harmony Chidi, who netted six of Nigeria’s dozen goals in the 12-0 annihilation of Central African Republic in the first round and also got the team’s goal in the 1-1 draw away in Bamako last week Saturday, came up big again with a hat-trick in front of delighted spectators in Nigeria’s administrative capital.

    She put the Nigeria U17 girls in front after 11 minutes, capitalizing on a defensive blunder by the duo of Faridatou Ouedraogo and Obaidatou Nkiema to dribble past goalkeeper Agueratou Baguian. Four minutes later, Shakirat Moshood’s angled shot was foiled by the upright, and in the 27th minute, Peace Effiong’s dashing run ended with a tame shot.

    Effiong made amends in the 34th minute, riding a couple of rough tackles to flash past the overworked Baguian as spectators egged the Flamingos on. She should have made it 3-0 with four minutes left in the first period, but got too much purchase on the ball from four yards.

    In the second half, visiting goalkeeper Baguian drew applause with an excellent double save from Harmony Chidi in the 55th minute, but the World Cup bronze medallists reserved their greater potency for the last quarter-hour. In the 74th minute, Taiwo Afolabi’s soaring volley from 20 yards rocked the crossbar, but Chidi was on hand to coolly nod it into the net.

    Substitute Ramota Kareem made it four in the 84th minute. Two minutes later, Chidi got her hat-trick with a dipping shot, and with one minute left on the clock, Effiong got her brace after a wonderful team move.

    Victory earned Nigeria a 7-1 aggregate win, and a place in the final round against the winner of the Senegal/Liberia fixture. The first leg is scheduled for Saturday, 8th June.