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 […]
Washington, DC — For two months after the coup in Niger on 26 July 2023, the Biden administration refrained from calling or chose not to call it a “coup” because that would have triggered American legislation that would have required it to suspend security cooperation and most other forms of assistance to the junta. It […]
On 27 January 2024, Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger announced their plan to withdraw from membership of the Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas), despite repeated efforts at reconciliation. Diplomacy scholar Nicholas Westcott explains how the decision may be the latest symptom of a deepening crisis in the Sahel, the area south of the […]
THE decision by Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger Republic, three landlocked sub-Saharan African countries, to pull out of the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, has sparked fears of increased instability and insecurity in the region. Recently emboldened by military take-overs, the three countries have accused ECOWAS of being a tool in the hands […]
Nairobi — Summary Killings, Looting, Arson Committed with Impunity Islamist armed groups in Burkina Faso have killed scores of civilians, looted and burned property, and forced thousands to flee in attacks across the country since late 2022, Human Rights Watch said today. The armed groups have also besieged several towns, cutting residents off from food, […]
Ouagadougou — ‘Since I have been here, nobody from the government has ever come to help.’ More than 30,000 Burkinabé have made their way down to the capital city, Ouagadougou, over the past few years, escaping a jihadist conflict that has enveloped large parts of the country and displaced more than two million people overall. […]
Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger’s request to withdraw presents a crucial opportunity to improve the regional bloc’s functioning. On 8 February, the Mediation and Security Council of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) will hold a special session in Abuja. The ministerial-level meeting will discuss political and security issues, including the withdrawals of […]
Calling national and regional civil society organizations working in Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Kenya, Senegal, and Nigeria TrustAfrica is pleased to announce the second fund cycle of the African Civil Society Support Initiative (ACSI) which provided support of over $US650 000 in 2022. The grant making initiative, focuses on building the resilience of Civil Society Organisation in Africa. […]
Ouagadougou — ‘We cannot farm, we cannot raise our livestock, and we cannot trade.’ Life used to be beautiful in Djibo, the town in the north of Burkina Faso where I have lived since the 1980s. There were no problems between communities, outsiders were welcome, and with only a little effort and work, you could […]
The country’s ECOWAS withdrawal is a major setback for an already difficult transition from coup state to constitutional rule. Leaders of Burkina Faso’s two coups in 2022 both cited insecurity and various forms of misgovernance as reasons for their military takeovers. Both promised to restore constitutional order by June 2024, as agreed in the Economic […]
On 11 February 2024, the head of Niger’s ruling military junta, General Abdourahmane Tiani, spoke of the possible creation of a common currency with Burkina Faso and Mali. “The currency is a first step toward breaking free from the legacy of colonisation,” he said on national TV, referring to the CFA franc inherited from French […]
Respect Rights in Counterinsurgency Operations; Ensure Accountability The Burkina Faso armed forces summarily executed at least 9 men and forcibly disappeared and apparently killed 18 others in 3 incidents since February 2023 in Séno province. Executions and disappearances by Burkina Faso’s army are war crimes that breed resentment among targeted populations, fueling recruitment to armed […]