Latest news
It’s a lie - Burkina Faso’s military ruler calls out Akufo-Addo over Wagner claims
Interim President Captain Ibrahim Traore says that gold mines are not “given” to to the Wagner group but rather they have to pay taxes and licensing fees like everyone else.
“If it was the deal to serve one master in place of another master, I would have rather died than do that because we say ‘homeland or death’.”
The article doesn’t mention who gets to license them, though, so it’s all half-truths. He does state that no mercenaries are on the front lines and that he is also forming partnerships with Turkey and China.
THE INSURGENTS
Recall that Al Qaeda started in Afghanistan with the intent of attacking western targets to get them to leave the Middle East. Local Islamic gov’ts then take over.
ISIS, on the other hand, wants to form the caliphate that rules everything.
AQIM al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb is a group with Algerian roots that has taken to the Sahel with a declared intention to attack European and American targets. During the previous decade AQIM focused on kidnapping for ransom as a means of raising funds and is estimated to have raised more than $50 million.
It is reported that 90 per cent of AQIM resources come from ransoms paid in return for the release of hostages.
The source of our financing is the Western countries. They are paying for jihad — the late Omar Ould Hamaha, 2012
In 2017, AQIM merged with Ansar Dine, the Macina Liberation Movement and Al-Mourabitoun to form JNIM.
JNIM is the fastest-growing terrorist group globally.
“Experts believe that JNIM-affiliated groups jointly earn between $18 and $35 million annually, mostly through extortion of the transit routes under their control, communities engaged in artisanal mining, and to a lesser extent kidnapping for ransom.” africacenter.org/...
ISW Iran update Jan 30 notes that these groups recycle back to Afghanistan and attack Iran as well. As does ISIS.
www.understandingwar.org/…
Salafi-jihadi groups and other insurgents have increased the rate of their attacks targeting the regime in southeastern Iran since December 2023.
So Iran is also fighting these groups. (Salafis are Sunni Muslim fundamentalists) This brings us back to Burkina Faso, where the new government’s policy includes cooperation with Iran.
THE GOVERNMENT
Interim President Captain Ibrahim Traoré, unlike some coup-plotters of the past, has appointed a Prime Minister, Apollinaire Joachim Kyélem de Tambèla. Tambèla was a lawyer and TV personality before being appointed Prime Minster, known for his polemicist personality (likes to refute arguments). He was a supporter of Thomas Sankara and one of his first actions was to reduce the salaries of public officials, including his own and that of the president.
“I have already said that Burkina Faso cannot be developed outside the path set by Thomas Sankara."
A fervent marxist, pan-Africanist and anti-Imperialist, the Prime Minister’s first trip was to Iran. He has also visited Venezuela and Nicaragua, proclaiming solidarity with their revolutionary movements.
Interim President Captain said as much when he visited Russia in July.
Burkina Faso’s new president condemns imperialism, quotes Che Guevara, allies with Nicaragua, Venezuela, Cuba (Note: this is a China-based site full of anti-American grievances, but it has that great click-bait headline! More on the propaganda below.)
“We are the forgotten peoples of the world. And we are here now to talk about the future of our countries, about how things will be tomorrow in the world that we are seeking to build, and in which there will be no interference in our internal affairs”, Traoré said, according to a partial transcript published by Russian state media outlet TASS.
“However, a slave who does not fight [for his freedom] is not worthy of any indulgence. The heads of African states should not behave like puppets in the hands of the imperialists. We must ensure that our countries are self-sufficient, including as regards food supplies, and can meet all of the needs of our peoples. Glory and respect to our peoples; victory to our peoples! Homeland or death!” Traore summed up, quoting the words of legendary Cuban revolutionary leader Ernesto “Che” Guevara. The 35-year-old president of Burkina Faso was attired in a camouflage uniform and red beret during the summit.
I think they should use the word aligns rather than allies. Unless, of course, secret treaties were signed.
Tragically, the disappearing of political opponents continues. Here the 70 year old previous foreign minister, Ablassé Ouédraogo, who spoke out in opposition to the Traoré — Tambèla gov’t, was drafted and hauled off to the front, never to be seen again.
www.africanews.com/…
And here’s two more . . .
www.dailynewsen.com/…where both the lawyer for the Sankara family, Guy Hervé Kam, and the former head of the gendarmerie, Lieutenant-Colonel Evrard Somda, have been kidnapped by the regime.
Meanwhile, Nigeria is mad, but not that mad, that Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger left Ecowas.
www.bbc.com/…
"Unelected leaders engage in a public posturing to deny their people the sovereign right to make fundamental choices over their freedom of movement, freedom to trade and freedom to choose their own leaders," it said.
The ministry added that Nigeria, which is by far the biggest member of Ecowas and is Niger's main economic partner, remained willing to engage with the three countries.
The article also notes that Russia . . .
. . . is just one of several major actors now stepping up efforts to court political and economic influence in Africa alongside not only China but also India, Turkey, the Gulf states and South Korea as well as Western nations and Japan.
Many sources have long talked about the Russian propaganda blitz in Africa and elsewhere, primarily on social media, that seeks to denigrate the West by pointing out our missteps and steamrolling them into accusations of hypocrisy. Anti-colonialist sentiments persist and are reinforced by contemporary actors. Clumsy efforts to talk back lack authentic voices.
Foreign Policy Research Institute. Russian Disinformation in Africa: No Door on this Barn
A focus on resource acquisition rather than local development allows Traoré to say things like he does in Moscow.
Here he equates Nazism with Western Colonialism. His reference to Africans deported to Europe to fight Nazis probably refers to the Senegalese Rifles. He also speaks of a generational gap. Putin better watch out, or Traoré’s going to install someone younger in Moscow! (Prigozhin was killed shortly after the summit.)
The Russian propaganda blitz in Africa also explains the pro-Russian attitudes on Ukraine found in Africa. spravdi.gov.ua/… which notes
However, it is important to understand that the main focus of Russian propaganda in these countries is on the “European context,” exploiting the colonial past and deliberately fuelling the anti-European sentiments of the local population. Egypt also stands out in this matter, as Russian propaganda in this country is trying to work on the “American topic” to undermine informationally the cooperation between Cairo and Washington.
US FOREIGN POLICY
The Western Alliance relies on the cooperative treaties between American, European, African and Pacific nations. The message seen in Russian propaganda of America First!, Europe First!, Africa First!, etc is designed to break this alliance apart with parochialist views.
Biden’s most excellent foreign policy emphasizes cooperative action through international agreements and institutions. It also highlights human rights and declines to glad-hand autocrats. www.newyorker.com/…
Burkina Faso was not invited to Biden’s 2022 US — Africa Summit due to the military coup. There were many great bureaucratic initiatives discussed. www.whitehouse.gov/…(I did say bureaucratic)
The reception is mixed. From an article in Politico
“IMF and World Bank packages are not seen very positively” in many developing nations, said a Southeast Asian economic official, granted anonymity to speak frankly about Biden’s plans. “It all comes with very heavy commitments that would tie our hands as to how we manage our [foreign direct investment], monetary policy, and taxes.”
And even when they welcome Biden’s agenda, many developing world leaders emphasize that they want a bigger role in the new economy than just supplying raw materials and being recipients of Western aid. They complain that Biden’s new take on development still views them as recipients of Western capital and technology, rather than helping them build their own domestic capabilities.
EDITORIAL
This Foreign Policy approach results in more strings attached to aid than does China or Russia. It also clashes with the National Security approach taken by people like Brett McGurk, who became White House coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa when Biden entered office in 2021. www.huffpost.com/…
Here are the comments on McGurk’s performance in Gaza:
“Brett’s theory of the region is that it’s a source of instability but also resources,” the former official said. “It’s a very old-school, colonialist mentality: People need strong rulers to control them, and we need to extract to our benefit what we need while minimizing the cost to ourselves and others we see as like us, in this case Israelis.”
“This approach always fails,” the official continued, saying it’s “short-sighted” and forces the U.S. to reinvest in the Middle East every few years.
“Here’s a clear example before you: they wanted to bypass the Palestinians” in Saudi-Israel normalization, the former official said.
It makes Biden’s more noble objectives appear as fig-leaves for hypocrisy and so they are viewed as just extra hoops to jump through rather than valid objectives. It’s not just carrots vs sticks, McGurk wants to maintain the status quo in places where tyranny reigns. Americans should recall that we are the Revolutionary Nation.
Dems are calling for McGurk’s resignation. He ain’t doing that well in Africa, either.
SPORTS
The Africa Cup is down to the quarter-finals with Nigeria vs. South Africa and Ivory Coast vs. Congo scheduled for Feb 7.
Tour de Faso
Despite security concerns, the Tour de Faso 2023 was run last October after being cancelled in 2022. sportnewsafrica.com/…
The favorite was Paul Daumont, who represented Burkina Faso in the 2020 Olympics.
www.voanews.com/…
Paul took the jersey in 2023.
CULTURE
The new malaria vaccine is now available in Burkina Faso.
www.bbc.com/…