Islamist groups escalate retaliatory attacks on Burkina Faso civilians, HRW says
Dakar, Senegal Reuters Jihadist groups in Burkina Faso have escalated attacks on civilians, often in retaliation against communities for refusing to join their ranks or allegedly collaborating with government troops, Human Rights Watch said on Wednesday. The junta-led West African nation has been grappling with Islamist insurgents, some with links to al-Qaeda and Islamic State, […]
Junta-led Sahel states rule out return to West African economic bloc
Niamey, Niger Reuters Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso, three military-led West African states, signed a confederation treaty on Saturday, underscoring their determination to chart a joint course outside the regional political and economic bloc that has been urging them to return to democratic rule. The signing took place at the first summit of the Alliance […]
Burkina Faso: How the military junta is conscripting critics to fight Islamist rebels
SOFIA CHRISTENSEN, of Reuters, reports on accusations Burkina Faso’s ruling junta have kidnapped and conscripted some of its critics…
Burkina Faso junta leader denies reports of army mutiny
Reuters Burkina Faso’s military leader Ibrahim Traore appeared on national TV on Thursday to deny reports of mutiny within the army following an attack by al Qaeda-linked insurgents that killed over 100 soldiers near the border with Niger. Commenting for the first time since the assault, Traore did not address a claim of responsibility by […]
West Africa bloc mediator “satisfied” after meeting Burkina Faso new military leader
Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso Reuters The mediator sent to Burkina Faso by West Africa’s main political and economic bloc ECOWAS, Mahamadou Issoufou, on Tuesday said he was satisfied by a meeting with the country’s new military leader Ibrahim Traore. Issoufou added that the 15-member bloc would continue accompanying Burkina Faso’s transition to constitutional rule after the […]
Who is Ibrahim Traore, the soldier behind Burkina Faso’s latest coup?
Dakar, Senegal Reuters As a heavily armed convoy drove through a cheering crowd in Burkina Faso’s capital on Sunday morning, the boyish face of the country’s latest military ruler, Captain Ibrahim Traore, emerged from the turret of an armoured personnel carrier. Sporting fatigues and a red beret, the 34-year-old smiled and raised his thumb as […]
Gunfire, confusion grip Burkina Faso day after coup, fire breaks out at French embassy
OuaGadougou, Burkina Faso Reuters Gunfire rang out across Burkina Faso’s capital on Saturday and fire broke out at the French embassy as self-declared leader Ibrahim Traore accused President Paul-Henri Damiba of staging a counter-offensive after his apparent ouster a day earlier. The standoff signals deep division within the army and a worrying new chapter for […]