About: Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso mourns 79 dead in jihadist massacre
Burkina Faso on Tuesday (14 June) began three days of mourning after 79 people died in one of the bloodiest massacres in a nearly seven-year-old insurgency by armed Islamists.
Ukraine war hits Africa’s most vulnerable as aid costs spike
A small charity broke ground this year on a clinic in northern Burkina Faso to care for thousands of women and children who have fled Islamist insurgents wreaking havoc along the fringes of the Sahara.
Borrell: Togo attack ‘shows terrorism is spreading’
Around 15 assailants were killed during a "terrorist" attack last week in the north of Togo that also left eight soldiers dead, a minister said Wednesday (18 May).
The Sahel insurgency is shaking West Africa’s democratic foundations
The latest coup attempt in Burkina Faso is evidence that politics is failing, not merely on a national level but on a regional level, writes Faisal Al Yafai.
Sahel ministers cancel joint EU talks amid growing chaos
Ministers from Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger cancelled joint talks with the EU at the last minute on Wednesday, in favour of bilateral meetings with the bloc’s chief diplomat Josep Borrell.
Burkina president ‘survives assassination attempt’
Burkina Faso's president has survived an assassination attempt, his party said Monday, with his whereabouts unclear following a mutiny by soldiers that African powers condemned as a "coup attempt".
Will France quit Mali? Crunch time nears as junta defies Paris
As relations between France and Mali sour rapidly, Paris is wondering whether it is time to stop providing military backup to a country run by a junta that has defied the international community.
Macron to reassure African leaders on commitment to fighting terror
President Emmanuel Macron will seek to reassure Sahel leaders of his commitment to Africa's anti-terror fight on Friday (9 July), at their first talks since he announced a reduction of French troops in West Africa.
‘Terrorists’ kill three European journalists in Burkina Faso
Three European journalists – two Spanish and one Irish – have been killed in an attack on an anti-poaching patrol in Burkina Faso, officials said Tuesday (27 April).
Macron, Sahel leaders meet to boost anti-jihadist campaign
French President Emmanuel Macron will on Monday (13 January) host counterparts from five Sahel countries seeking more backing in the fight against a murderous jihadist uprising even as France's military role is being questioned.
New EU ‘Peace fund’ could buy weapons for Africa
The EU wants to pay for military equipment, including lethal weaponry, for partner countries in crisis zones such as Africa's Sahel region as part of a €10.5-billion "peace facility" launched on Wednesday (13 June).
EU to give Sahel force funding boost
European leaders will Friday give a financial boost to a joint African force tackling jihadists in the Sahel at an international conference in Brussels, as fresh violence highlights the region's fraught security situation.
Africa, Europe hope to rally support for Sahel anti-terror force
French President Emmanuel Macron hosts Germany's Angela Merkel and five African presidents today (13 December), hoping to bolster the fledging G5 Sahel force fighting jihadists in an area the size of Europe.
Burkina Faso launches Sahel region’s largest solar power plant
West Africa's biggest solar power plant comes online on Wednesday (29 November) as Burkina Faso, one of the world's poorest countries, inaugurates a novel scheme to boost renewables and cut energy dependence on its neighbours.
Pentagon looks at stepped-up Africa role to counter Islamic State
The United States is considering a stepped-up military presence in Africa to pursue Islamic State group jihadists looking for new havens after the fall of their "caliphate," American officials say.
Suspected jihadists kill 17 in attack on Burkina Faso restaurant
Suspected jihadists killed at least 17 people and wounded eight during a raid on a restaurant in Burkina Faso's capital, the communications minister said, as security forces sought to free people still trapped inside today (14 August).
Macron in Mali for diplomatic push on Sahel anti-jihadist force
French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday (2 July) threw his weight behind a planned Sahel force to fight jihadists on a lightning visit to Mali but told countries in the region their efforts had to bear fruit.
EU to give €50 million for African force in Sahel
The EU is giving 50 million euros to set up a joint African military force in the Sahel region to fight jihadists, the bloc's foreign affairs chief said yesterday (5 June).
France says backs West African cooperation against Islamists
France backs efforts by West African states to boost security in the Sahel region, including a plan for a 5,000-strong multinational force to combat Islamist fighters, its foreign minister said yesterday (6 April).
Development aid and security spending in Africa’s Sahel region are ‘inextricably linked’
Strict aid accounting rules mean the international community is reluctant to finance security operations in Africa's troubled Sahel region, leaving France all but alone in tackling this sensitive issue. EURACTIV France reports.
Blending: The new buzzword at EU’s ‘Davos of Development’
'Blending' - a form of pump-priming private sector investment, by leveraging it onto public official development aid - seems to be the new buzzword at this year's EU Development Days, according to the UN's Xavier Michon.
‘Great Wall of Africa’ planned to hold back the Sahara
A massive-scale project proposed by the African Union, partly funded by the EU, will see a wall of trees erected at the edge of the Sahara, in an attempt to prevent the desert encroaching further. EURACTIV's partner El País - Planeta Futuro reports.
MEPs speak out against GMOs in ‘New Alliance’ food strategy for Africa
European lawmakers have urged the EU not to support the introduction of GMOs in Africa, in a resolution criticising the G8's New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition. EURACTIV France reports.