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Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger hint at a new west African currency: what it’ll take for it to succeed

Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger hint at a new west African currency: what it’ll take for it to succeed

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 colonisation. THIERNO THIOUNE, enseignant-chercheur, directeur du CREA, Université Cheikh Anta Diop de Dakar Burkina Faso, Niger and Mali, three former French colonies, have experienced military coups in recent years. They’re now all ruled by military regimes. They also formed a new defence alliance, known as…
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Junta-led Sahel states to form joint force to fight insurgents

Junta-led Sahel states to form joint force to fight insurgents

JUNTA-LED Niger, Burkina Faso, and Mali have agreed to set up a joint force to tackle security threats across their territories, Niger's armed forces chief Moussa Salaou Barmou said after a meeting with his counterparts. The decision is the latest sign of closer alignment to emerge since the three neighbours in West Africa's insurgency-torn central Sahel region severed military ties with longstanding allies including France and formed a cooperation pact known as the Alliance of Sahel States (AES). In a televised statement, Barmou said the new task force would be "operational as soon as possible to meet the security challenges," but did…
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West Africa trade will take a hit as Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso leave Ecowas

West Africa trade will take a hit as Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso leave Ecowas

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 main objective is to create a single, large trading bloc through economic cooperation. OLIVIER WALTHER, Assistant Professor in Geography, University of Florida Since 1975, Ecowas and its sister organisation the West African Economic and Monetary Union (known by its French acronym, Uemoa) have implemented numerous…
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West African bloc lifts sanctions on junta-led Niger

West African bloc lifts sanctions on junta-led Niger

THE West African regional bloc said that it would lift strict sanctions on Niger as it seeks a new strategy to dissuade three junta-led states from withdrawing from the political and economic union - a move that threatens regional integration. Leaders of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) met to address a political crisis in the coup-hit region that deepened in January with military-ruled Niger, Burkina Faso, and Mali's decision to exit the 15-member bloc. After closed-door talks, ECOWAS said it had decided to lift Niger sanctions including border closures, the freezing of central bank and state assets, and the…
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Burkina Faso suspends export permits for small-scale gold production

Burkina Faso suspends export permits for small-scale gold production

BURKINA Faso's military junta has suspended the issuance of export permits for artisanal and semi-mechanised gold and other precious commodities with immediate effect, it said. "This suspension follows the need to clean up the sector and reflects the government's desire to better organise the marketing of gold and other precious substances," it said in a statement dated February 20. It did not say how long the suspension would be in place. It added that Mining groups with material to export are invited to reach out to the National Society for Precious Commodities (SONAP) for compensation. Gold is Burkina Faso's main…
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‘Nobody sees me’: Photographing displacement in Burkina Faso’s capital

‘Nobody sees me’: Photographing displacement in Burkina Faso’s capital

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. Yet despite the city’s safety and employment opportunities, the displaced people have been struggling with high rents and a lack of assistance and recognition from humanitarian organisations and different governments. Late last year, Burkinabé photographer Warren Saré, working alongside Italian reporter Giulia Tringali, spent time documenting the lives of the city’s displaced people, who live in informal settlements, with host families,…
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Junta-led Sahel states confirm plan to form tri-state confederation

Junta-led Sahel states confirm plan to form tri-state confederation

JUNTA-LED Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger plan to proceed with the establishment of a confederation, the Malian foreign ministry said, as the three countries deepen ties via an alliance that threatens broader West African integration. The neighbours in the impoverished Sahel region announced in January they would quit the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) - a decision the bloc has urged them to rethink, warning of the additional hardships this withdrawal would bring. At a meeting in the Burkinabe capital Ouagadougou, their three ministers confirmed a joint commitment to withdraw from ECOWAS without delay and continue cooperation under a pact known…
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For West African juntas, CFA franc pits sovereignty against expediency

For West African juntas, CFA franc pits sovereignty against expediency

DAYS after Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger announced last month they were quitting the West Africa political union ECOWAS, Burkina Faso's military ruler Ibrahim Traore was already naming his next target: the region's CFA franc currency. "It's not just the currency. Anything that maintains us in slavery, we'll break those bonds," the 35-year-old army captain turned coup leader said in an interview, posted on YouTube. The three countries jointly announced on Jan. 28 they were pulling out of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) after it pressured them to restore constitutional order following a string of coups. Having…
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Burkina Faso’s Velud latest Cup of Nations coaching casualty

Burkina Faso’s Velud latest Cup of Nations coaching casualty

BURKINA FASO has decided not to renew the contract of coach Hubert Velud after their Africa Cup of Nations last-16 exit, the country’s football federation said. Burkina Faso were eliminated by neighbours Mali in the first knockout round, having finished second in their group behind Angola but ahead of top-seeded Algeria. Velud was making a belated first appearance on the bench at the Cup of Nations. The 64-year-old Frenchman was shot in the arm in an attack on the Togo team bus by separatists in the Angolan enclave of Cabinda on the eve of the 2010 Cup of Nations finals. He…
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West Africa bloc urges Burkina, Niger and Mali not to withdraw

West Africa bloc urges Burkina, Niger and Mali not to withdraw

THE West African regional bloc ECOWAS pushed junta-led Burkina Faso, Niger and Mali to reconsider their decision to quit the political and economic alliance, it said, warning of the hardships the move would force on their citizens. The three countries' self-appointed military leaders jointly announced on January 28 that they were abandoning the bloc after it pressured them to restore constitutional order following a string of coups. Their departure threatens to further weaken ECOWAS, which has struggled to curtail a retreat of democracy in West Africa that started with a military takeover in Mali in 2020. Its mediation and security council met…
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