PREMIUM TIMES believes that the message in all of this for ECOWAS is: good governance and an economy that works for all are the guardrails of any democracy. In the years leading to independence for most African states, there was the geopolitical cleavage having various countries within the radically-minded pan-Africanists dubbed the Casablanca bloc up […]
Tag: Burkina Faso
Ansaroul Islam and other armed groups are enforcing brutal sieges in localities across Burkina Faso committing war crimes and human rights abuses, including killings of civilians, abductions of women and girls, attacks on civilian infrastructure and attacks on supply convoys, resulting in severe humanitarian consequences, Amnesty International said today in a new report. The report, […]
In August 2023, Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin died after his private jet crashed about an hour after taking off in Moscow. He had been Russia’s pointman in Africa since the Wagner Group began operating on the continent in 2017. The group is known for deploying paramilitary forces, running disinformation campaigns and propping up influential […]
Monrovia — The Institute for Economics and Peace has released its latest report on the state of terrorism around the world. The 2023 report, dubbed the Global Terrorism Index, shows a dramatic rise in the number of terrorism-related deaths while revealing that the Sahel region of Sub-Saharan Africa witnessed more deaths from terrorism than the […]
France’s Culture Minister on Friday said the suspension of visas for artists from Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso was due to security concerns in light of the recent military coups in those countries and in no way a “boycott”. The three Sahel countries are in the hands of military putschists, and diplomatic ties with France […]
Authoritarianism is on the rise, coups back in fashion, and elections reduced to a perfunctory ritual. How do we reverse the slide? Liberal democracy is losing steam. With the recent coup in Gabon, Africa celebrated the ignoble milestone of 109 successful coups on the continent. A third of Europeans are voting for populist, anti-establishment parties […]
The membership of the Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas) has been whittled down from 15 to 12 following the unilateral withdrawal of Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso in February. Founded in 1975, Ecowas is one of eight regional economic communities recognised by the African Union to foster regional integration on the continent. Its […]
Ouagadougou — Burkina Faso’s humanitarian and security challenges are worsening as the country’s junta-led government pursues an aggressive military campaign against jihadist armed groups, which have extended their control to around 40% of the national territory. The country has faced jihadist attacks since 2015, but fatalities and humanitarian needs have hit record highs since army […]
Peace talks that seek to end armed conflicts are underway in several African countries. Because very few conflicts are resolved on the battlefield, negotiations are fundamental. But they often fail. And even when an agreement is concluded, it doesn’t always last. So what are the factors that lead to successful peace talks? To start, negotiating […]
Junta-led Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger have ditched the G5 anti-jihadist force. Experts say their intended new confederation to tackle Islamist insurgents in the Sahel is bound to fail unless they mend ties with ECOWAS. All three countries, led by militaries that seized power from civilian leaders, officially withdrew from the G5 Sahel Joint Force, […]
The withdrawal of Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso from the West African economic bloc triggered strong reactions among the group’s members, with some promising to reverse the Sahel countries’ decision before it’s too late. But interrogations are also mounting on whether the organisation can survive the shift. Mali and Burkina Faso sent their “formal notice” […]
*Expresses readiness to host African Central Bank *AU kicks against exorbitant military spending on conflicts, terrorism President Bola Tinubu yesterday declared that Nigeria remains open to dialogue with Mali, Guinea, Burkina Faso, and Niger Republic, despite recent coups in the four countries and the decision of three of them to withdraw from the Economic Community […]
Mr President, Excellencies, Distinguished delegates, Rarely has humanity faced so many rapidly spiralling crises. In this update, I will focus first, on the scourge of war and the imperative of peace; and second, on the open space that is needed for societies to flourish – particularly in this mega election year. A wave of conflict […]
Introduction by Ahmedou Ould Abdallah, president centre4s.org In the Sahel, increasingly long-lasting violent terrorism as well as chronical military coups d’état are distracting attention from a situation that undoubtedly reinforce both of them. That is Gold formal and informal productions and sales. It must no longer be excluded that Sahel Islamists have approaches closer to […]
Nairobi — The agricultural sector is a significant contributor to global greenhouse gas emissions, responsible for an estimated 19-29 percent, according to the World Bank. This figure climbs to 40 percent emissions produced throughout the entire agricultural value chain – encompassing transportation, storage, and processing – are considered. With the global population expected to double […]
“ECOWAS, under the influence of foreign powers, betraying its founding principles, has become a threat to its member state…” Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso said. Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso last week announced they wanted nothing to do with the sub-regional bloc, ECOWAS, further deepening tensions between the bloc and countries currently led by juntas. […]
A movement of dozens of African civil society groups call on the AU to take actions in pursuit of climate justice, peace, and equality. We, the members of the African Movement Building Space, believe that the magnitude of the crises we face demands systemic change that results in the creation of sustainable societies and new […]
“Today what happens everywhere can be seen and heard everywhere”. More widespread, more violent and now openly assumed as at its beginnings in 2012, terrorism in the Sahel continues unabated across the region. Inexorably transformed into an increasingly ethnic war, it is now anchored beyond the center of the Sahel, its earliest base. It is […]