Burkina Faso has denied claims that it awarded a mining permit to Nordgold just because it is a Russian company, its mines minister told the media on Sunday (5 February), rebuffing Western concerns that the ruling junta is seeking closer ties with Moscow. Burkina Faso allows all companies to operate in the west African country […]
Tag: Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso rally calls for ‘sovereignty’ without France, endorses junta in power
Several thousands of demonstrators rallied in Burkina Faso’s capital on Saturday (28 January) in support of the ruling junta, a few days after the confirmation of the departure of France special forces from the country by February. Packing Nation Square in central Ouagadougou, demonstrators held signs bearing slogans including “Down with imperialism,” “Down with French […]
Burkina Faso: dozens of soldiers, civilians killed in jihadist-hit north
At least 28 people, including soldiers and civilians, have been killed in two separate attacks by rebel fighters in northern Burkina Faso, a regional governor and the army said in separate statements. The army said on Monday (30 January) that a combat unit in Falagountou, in the country’s north near its border with Niger, came […]
Laurent Gbagbo urges ECOWAS to set up regional counterterrorism brigade
Laurent Gbagbo, Cote d’Ivoire’s ex-leader, has called on regional grouping ECOWAS to establish counter-terrorism brigade to curtail terrorism that has plagued the region. Gbagbo was speaking at a meeting of his party PPA-CI, at Bayota, a town in south-central Ivory Coast. “The problem in the Sahel today is the jihadists,” he said. For a 77-year […]
France agrees to pull troops from Burkina Faso, UNHCR warns of vacuum in Sahel
France will withdraw its troops from Burkina Faso within a month in response to the request from the junta-ruled Burkinabe government, the French foreign ministry said Wednesday, Jan.25. “According to the terms of the accord, the termination (of the 2018 agreement on the status of French armed forces present in the country) takes effect a […]
Burkina Faso gives French troops one month to leave
Burkina Faso has ordered French troops stationed in the country to leave within one month amid ongoing anti-France sentiment at home. Local media, including National broadcaster RTB and state-run news agency Agence d’Information du Burkina, indicated that the Government made the decision Wednesday to end the presence of France’s military on Burkinabe soil. The government […]
Burkina Faso: search underway for 50 women abducted by jihadists in restive Sahel region
Security forces are searching for at least 50 women that were abducted by suspected Islamist extremists in Burkina Faso’s insurgency-hit northern Sahel region, a regional governor said Monday, January 16. The women were kidnapped on January 12-13 while in the countryside gathering wild fruit near the town of Arbinda in Soum province, Lt. Col. P.F. […]
France defies pressure by Burkina junta for envoy’s withdrawal
France’s foreign ministry is backing its ambassador in Burkina Faso despite a request by authorities there to replace him amid mounting anti-French sentiment in the country. “I would like to express my support and our support for our ambassador and for all the embassy staff, who are doing a remarkable job in conditions which, as […]
Catholic father killed in northwest Burkina Faso
The Catholic Church in Burkina Faso announced Tuesday the assassination of one of its priests, at Soro, northwest of the insecurity-plagued country, by unidentified armed men. The father abbot, identified as Jacques Yaro Zerbo, was killed on Dédougou-Gassan road on Monday, reported Anadolu News Agency, quoting a security source. The region where Dédougou diocese is […]
Burkina Faso asks France to recall ambassador; 28 bodies found in country’s northwest
Amid a surge in anti-French sentiment, France has been asked to recall its ambassador in Burkina Faso, the military junta said Monday January 2, as the West African country seeks to develop closer ties with Russia. Ambassador Luc Hallade was asked to leave, government spokesman Jean-Emmanuel Ouedraogo confirmed to the media, but provided no further […]








