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BIZARRE: Ibrahim traore - You Need To See This

Burkina Faso has dissolved all political parties: why African coup leaders often turn on the people who supported them

The end of January 2026 effectively marked the end of party politics in Burkina Faso. On 29 January, Captain Ibrahim Traoré’s government formally dissolved all political parties, including those that had supported his September 2022 coup.

The Conversation

Burkina Faso moves to reinstate death penalty as junta overhauls penal code

Burkina Faso’s military-led government has taken a step toward reinstating the death penalty, adopting a new penal code that once again allows capital punishment for crimes including treason, terrorism and espionage.

Radio France Internationale

Kidnapped, killed or silenced: Africa's journalists increasingly under threat

Across Africa, journalists are being kidnapped, tortured and killed – often by people whose identities are known but who face no punishment. Reports gathered by RFI and press freedom groups show these incidents spreading from Burkina Faso to Guinea and eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, where journalists who refuse to…

Radio France Internationale

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Prison time, fines and ostracisation: anti-gay law shocks community in African country seen as relatively safe

Jail terms of up to five years for ‘promoting homosexuality’ in Burkina Faso latest in push for ‘family values’ sweeping the continent

The Guardian - UK

Trust in the US is eroding. The question isn’t if the dollar will lose supremacy – it’s when

De-dollarisation is not a threat to global stability. Countries are simply questioning the rules of a game long rigged in Washington’s favour

The Guardian - UK

Fake news claiming Burkina Faso detained French spy spreads virally online

Anti-Western disinformation is rampant in Burkina Faso and the wider Sahel, with analysts and governments claiming pro-Russian campaigns are undermining stability.

Euronews

Burkina Faso pardons 21 soldiers involved in failed 2015 coup

Twenty-one soldiers, convicted for their role in the failed coup d'état in Burkina Faso in September 2015, have received a presidential pardon.

Radio France Internationale

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Senegal sees French troops depart as west Africa reassesses colonial ties

France has handed over control to the Senegalese government of two military bases in Senegal’s capital, Dakar that it has used for decades. The move follows an announcement in late 2024 by Senegal’s president, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, that all foreign troops would be required to leave the country.

The Conversation

Burkina Faso’s Ibrahim Traoré is making waves in west Africa. Who is he?

Captain Ibrahim Traoré is the interim leader of Burkina Faso, having taken over the position following a coup which he led against Lieutenant Colonel Paul Henri Damiba in September 2022. The 37-year-old captain had supported Damiba, his commanding officer, in a putsch earlier that year against former president Roch Marc…

The Conversation

‘What a project, what a challenge!’: Africa’s leading architect gives Thomas Sankara a proper place of rest

Pritzker prize-winner Francis Kéré has designed a memorial to honour ‘Africa’s Che Guevara’, Burkina Faso’s visionary president who was assassinated in 1987

The Guardian - UK

Macron’s Africa 'reset' stumbles as leaders call out colonial overtones

French President Emmanuel Macron’s efforts to “reset” France’s relationship with its former African colonies appear to be faltering. Seven years after coming to power with promises of reform, a growing number of West African nations are asking for French troops to leave, signalling a breakdown in relations.

Radio France Internationale

West African military leaders prepare to exit Ecowas regional bloc, raising concerns for stability

Leaders of the west African regional grouping Ecowas approved the long-awaited withdrawal of Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso from the bloc in December. The three countries have been granted a six-month grace period from January 29, when their exit becomes official, to reconsider their decision.

The Conversation

Burkina Faso extends amnesty to those involved in failed 2015 coup

Burkina Faso’s transitional legislative assembly has passed a bill granting amnesty to soldiers involved in the failed coup in September 2015.

Radio France Internationale

Gabon’s coup leaders have changed the constitution to entrench their power – it’s a growing trend in west Africa

More than a year after a military coup, Gabonese citizens have held a referendum in which they approved a new draft constitution. The constitutional revisions targeted dynastic rule by introducing presidential term limits and banning family members of a sitting president from running for the office.

The Conversation

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Radio France Internationale

Burkina Faso aims to reinstate death penalty, government source says

Burkina Faso's military regime wants to reinstate the death penalty, which was abolished in the country in 2018, a government source told AFP news agency on Saturday.

The Guardian - UK

Burkina Faso wants to reinstate death penalty, government source says

Military regime considering move after capital punishment abolished in west African country in 2018

France 24

Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso: How a triumvirate of military leaders are redrawing West Africa’s map

The military juntas of Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso signed a treaty of confederation Saturday bringing together 72 million people into the Alliance of Sahel States (AES). It’s a decision, they say, that will not only allow the three nations to wipe the scourge of jihadist violence from their countries,…

Radio France Internationale

New Sahel Confederation challenges regional order as ECOWAS seeks dialogue

The military heads of Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger convened for the inaugural summit of the Confederation of the Sahel States (AES). The leaders emphasised territorial and popular sovereignty as core principles of their leadership through a new treaty. Concurrently, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is exploring…

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The Independent UK

Military leaders of Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso rule out returning to the regional block ECOWAS

The coup-hit nations of Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso have ruled out returning to the West Africa regional bloc whose division could further jeopardize regional efforts to revert coups and curb the violence spreading across the region

Radio France Internationale

Burkina Faso junta slams NGO report on massacre as 'baseless'

Military-ruled Burkina Faso has rejected as "baseless accusations" a Human Rights Watch report that soldiers killed at least 223 villagers in two attacks on 25 February.

France 24

Amnesty warns of escalating jihadist violence in Burkina Faso

Security forces and armed groups are committing war crimes against civilians in Africa's Sahel region. The amnesty report: Death was slowly creeping on us: Living under siege in Burkina Faso focuses on crimes against civilians in many localities of Burkina Faso. The country underwent two military coups.The latest in september…

Radio France Internationale

Insurgency in Burkina Faso stops children from returning to school

Nearly a million children have been unable to return to school in Burkina Faso this week due to insecurity caused by the ongoing jihadist insurgency in the country. The United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef) expressed concern and has strengthened its system of radios for distance courses.

Radio France Internationale

Ecowas condems jihadist attack that leaves over 50 Burkinabé military, volunteers dead

At least fifty-three members of Burkina Faso's security forces have been killed in an attack by suspected jihadists in the north of the country, that has been condemned by the West African bloc, Ecowas.

The Guardian - UK

War crimes surge in Burkina Faso, the world’s ‘most neglected crisis’

Villagers increasingly caught up in army crackdown on Islamist militants, with both sides accused of mass killings of civilians

France 24

'General mobilisation' declared in Burkina Faso after series of terrorist attacks

The head of the military junta has said he aims to recapture 40% of the country's territory, as the deadly insurgency continues.

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Bassirou Diomaye Faye

Roch Marc Christian Kaboré

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