US Targets Burkina Faso’s Ibrahim Traoré

The US of A trotted out a black man to level false accusations against Burkina Faso's Ibrahim Traoré during an April 03 Senate hearing. 

General Michael Langley (right), head of US Africa Command (AFRICOM), made the bold claim that the leader of Burkina Faso is a threat to his own people and that he is keeping the country's gold reserves for his personal gain. 

Truth be told, Captain Traoré reclaimed Burkina Faso’s gold – not for multinational corporations or foreign banks, but to empower his nation. His plan to exploit the country’s wealth to fund infrastructure, development, and self-reliance exposes the uncomfortable truth: Africa’s poverty is manufactured and maintained by those who profit from its resources while keeping its people in chains of dependency. 

But Traoré (left) is not alone. Burkina Faso has joined forces with Mali and Niger to form the Alliance of Sahel States – a mutual defense pact designed to protect their sovereignty from both terrorist threats and foreign intervention. Together, these nations have expelled French troops, rejected Western military dictates, and charted a course toward self-reliance. 

This regional unity represents a direct challenge to AFRICOM and the broader neo-colonial grip on West Africa. And that is why General Langley as well as others are sounding alarms. 

Leave Burkinabes alone, the gold isn't yours, and Burkina Faso isn't your business!! 

Let’s not ignore these facts: Captain Traoré has already survived eighteen assassination attempts since taking power in 2022 – on April 16, the latest bid to dispatch Traoré, US and French intelligences were implicated conspiring with Burkinabe traitors. 

History tells us that when an African leader dares to stand on sovereignty, reclaim his country's own natural resources, and unite with neighboring nations against Western powers, he becomes a target, not because he endangers his people, but because he threatens their interests. 

Captain Traoré’s vision, alongside Mali and Niger, represents more than national pride – it’s a blueprint for genuine African independence. And that’s precisely why he’s being labeled a threat. 

The true danger isn’t Traoré or the Alliance of Sahel States – it’s the desperation of Western powers unwilling to let Africa control their own destiny. And African leaders like Benin's Patrice Talon, Côte d'Ivoire's Alassane Ouattara, Egypt's Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, Kenya's William Ruto, Nigeria's Bola Ahmed Tinubu are Western puppets. It's pertinent to point out that General Langley’s statement is not a defense of human rights – it’s a defense of geopolitical interests. 

Indeed, Ibrahim Traore is the best thing that's ever happened to Africa. And he has the support of not only Burkinabes but also many, many Africans!

Junta-led Sahel States Formally Leave ECOWAS

On January 29, Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger formally left ECOWAS, the West African regional bloc, after more than a year of diplomatic tensions.

The withdrawal has shaken the Economic Community of West African States that many consider to be the continent's most important regional group and which this year marks their 50th anniversary. 

While ECOWAS work out the terms of their future relationship with the three countries, they say they will continue to recognize all passports and identity cards bearing the ECOWAS logo held by citizens from Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger. They will also remain in the bloc's free-trade scheme.

West Africa observers are already concerned the withdrawal will worsen security in the region. The Sahel – the semi-arid region just south of the Sahara Desert that includes the three said countries – is wracked with jihadist insurgencies and now accounts for "almost half of all deaths from terrorism globally", a senior UN official said in April.

And in a sign of the doubts within ECOWAS, Togo and Ghana have normalised their relations with the three states.  

Yesterday's Champions League match pitting Liverpool against PSV Eindhoven wasn’t a dead rubber, despite little riding on it for the former. Even as Arne Slot rotated his squad and leaving behind nine senior players at Anfield. 

The much-changed Liverpool finished top of the Champions League group phase despite losing their 100% winning record after defeat to PSV Eindhoven – the latter won 3-2 – in a five-goal thriller.

In an action-packed first half, Cody Gakpo put the Reds ahead from the penalty spot in the 28th minute in his home city against his former club after a Rood-witten midfielder had fouled Federico Chiesa. The Reds-and-Whites equalised in the 35th minute but five minutes later, Liverpool's lead was restored when Chiesa's shot was deflected to Harvey Elliott, who scored his second Champions League goal in consecutive games. 

And then, two quick goals (45, 45+6) from the Eredivisie leaders turned the game around for them.

Ukraine Linked to Tuareg Terror Attack

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ukraine is at the center of a diplomatic storm in Africa after its officials appeared to back a recent rebel attack in Mali, which has been plagued by jihadist insurgencies for more than a decade.

 

Tuareg insurgents ambushed a military convoy carrying members of the Russian Wagner Group private military company and Malian soldiers late in July in the village of Tinzaouaten, located in the north of Mali, killing dozens. 

 

Ukrainian military intelligence service (GUR) spokesperson Andrey Yusov (right), speaking on national TV, called the incident a “successful military operation against Russian war criminals” carried out with the “necessary information” provided to the militants by his agents. He vowed that “there will be more to come”. 

 

Kiev’s embassy in Dakar, Senegal shared Yusov’s interview – now deleted – on their Facebook page, along with a caption from their ambassador Yury Pivovarov to Senegal, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, and Liberia, who said “there will certainly be other results”.

 

Bamako and its West African neighbors have denounced the remarks as Ukraine’s support for “international terrorism”. Even the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), a regional bloc that Mali’s military government and their allies in Burkina Faso and Niger quit in January, have said they will not tolerate “any foreign interference” that threatens the region’s peace and security. 

 

Senegal and Burkina Faso issued separate statements on Saturday, warning Ukraine against actions aimed at destabilizing their “brotherly” neighbor Mali. Ouagadougou advised Kiev not to “fight the wrong battle and should refrain from any support” for terrorists involved in the ongoing violence in Mali, which has spread to Burkina Faso and Niger.

 

Niger responded on Tuesday by breaking off diplomatic ties with Ukraine with “immediate effect” in “total solidarity with the government and people of Mali”. Mali had earlier taken a similar decision, claiming Kiev’s actions threatened Bamako’s sovereignty.

 

In an interview with RIA Novosti on Wednesday, Fousseinou Ouattara, deputy chairperson of Bamako’s parliamentary security and defense committee, said Mali and Niger have asked the UN Security Council to investigate allegations that Ukraine provided intelligence to the Tuareg rebels. 

 

Ouattara reportedly questioned Ukraine’s ability to act alone in providing intelligence to armed groups, hinting that Kiev’s Western allies, including the US and France, could have assisted.

 

On the same day too, Russia accused Ukraine of encouraging terrorist groups in African countries friendly to Moscow.

No To ECOWAS

Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger announced on Saturday they have "irrevocably" turned their backs on ECOWAS.

 

The Economic Community of West African States regional bloc had swiftly suspended the three countries after their respective military takeovers, which occurred in July 2023 in Niger, September 2022 in Burkina Faso and August 2021 in Mali. 

 

ECOWAS even imposed sanctions on Niger and Mali, and at one stage, had threatened military intervention. And yet, the regional bloc’s leaders held out hope for the trio’s eventual return. Fat chance because in January. the said countries withdrew from ECOWAS. 

 

Speaking at the summit, Niger's General Abdourahamane Tchiani called the 50-year-old ECOWAS “a threat to our states”.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Burkina Faso's Captain Ibrahim Traoré and Mali's Colonel Assimi Goïta met General Tchiani in Niger's capital, Niamey to formalise an alliance created in the face of opposition from neighboring countries. The three soldiers took power in their respective countries which have been battered by jihadist violence, in part a reason given for the military coups. 

 

They now establish the Alliance of Sahel States as a step “towards greater integration” between the three countries, in the latest showing of their shift away from traditional regional and Western allies.

 

The junta chiefs said they aimed to build a community of sovereign peoples "far from the control of foreign powers. A community of peace, solidarity, prosperity based on our African values”.

 

In a message on X, Capt Traoré declared that "together, we will consolidate the foundations of our true independence". 

 

Speaking at the summit, he went on to say that "this continent has suffered and continues to suffer from the fire of the imperialists. These imperialists have only one cliché in mind: 'Africa is the empire of slaves'". 

 

Security co-operation is high on the agenda, but the alliance, known by their French acronym AES, will also look towards forming closer economic ties, including the goal of creating a common currency. This would be a rejection of the France-backed CFA Franc, which is used in many states across the region. 

 

Already, the three countries have expelled French soldiers who were there supposedly as part of an anti-jihadist mission. Besides, they have regularly accused former colonial ruler France of meddling in the 15-member ECOWAS. 

 

Finally, we're seeing African countries asserting genuine independence. And I would urge countries which are under the thumb of the Western powers (e.g., Cameroon, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Ghana, Kenya and Nigeria) to follow the three countries' example and break free!

Another Snake Oil Peddler Exposed

Madagascar got the world to sit up when on April 20, 2020, its president Andry Rajoelina (left) took a sip of a homegrown beverage and declared the herbal tonic could prevent coronavirus and cure it. 

It was given the name Covid-Organics and it is derived from artemisia, also known as sweet wormwood (Scientific name: Artemisia annua) – a plant with proven anti-malarial properties – and other indigenous herbs.

The beverage's distribution across the country and to some other African governments (Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Niger and Tanzania) sparked controversy and warnings by the WHO who said its efficacy against the pathogen was unproven. 

Still, he stuck to his guns. 

"What is the problem with Covid-Organics, really? Could it be that this product comes from Africa? Could it be that it's not OK for a country like Madagascar, which is the 63rd poorest country in the world... to have come up with (this formula) that can help save the world?" asked Rajoelina, who claimed the infusion cures patients within ten days. 

He had confidently asserted: "The patients who have healed have taken no other product than Covid-Organics". 

His trust in the cure was cruelly pulverized when yesterday, his government had to re-impose a lockdown in central Madagascar. Troops were even deployed to ensure residents comply with containment measures, including a curfew in Antananarivo.

This came after the island nation recorded 213 new cases in the capital city on Saturday. And another 309 infections revealed themselves on Sunday. 

So now, we know for sure that Covid-Organics doesn’t work.

The Covid-19 Situation in Africa

More than three months have lapsed since Egypt became the first country in Africa to confirm a coronavirus case. Since then, the outbreak has reached every nation on the continent of 1.2 billion people – with 100,666 confirmed cases and 3,105 deaths on Friday, according to Africa CDC. 

No doubt Africa recorded just a wee fraction of the world's coronavirus cases – a mere 1.9%. 

Also WHO modelling has predicted that Covid-19 would move more slowly through Africa than elsewhere. It's very comforting to know, that’s for sure.

Still, the fact remains that the virus is raging in pockets of the continent. 

And it has been hit hard by the economic fallout from global trade disruptions, falling oil and commodities prices and the lockdowns deployed to fight the disease's spread. That can be just as hurting. 

I read that the presidents of Ivory Coast, Kenya, Niger, Senegal and Sierra Leone on Tuesday are already complaining that wealthy countries are failing Africa, with pledges of financial support and debt relief falling well short of the continent's needs as it battles the coronavirus pandemic. 

But it’s not only Africa that is affected – but everywhere too.

Already, the global economy is shrinking by around 5%. According to World Bank estimates, up to 60 million people could be pushed below the poverty line in their latest apocalyptic prediction. 

World Bank president David Malpass (right) said they have so far loaned money for emergency programs in 100 countries, accounting for about 70% of the world’s population, in response to the coronavirus crisis. 

He said the money would “reinforce healthcare systems” as well as pay for medical equipment and supplies.

Many countries' economies are already in dire straits.