About: Burkina Faso

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.

EU confident in Burkina Faso

Despite the terrorist attacks carried out in its capital at the beginning of the year, EU Development Commissioner Neven Mimica, confidently looked to the future of Burkina Faso during a visit to the West African nation. EURACTIV Germany reports.

‘Bargain bin’ milk could hurt developing economies

A proposed boost to German dairy-exports has been criticised for the potential economic damage it could do to developing countries, EURACTIV Germany reports. 

Burkina Faso falls prey to anarchy

Burkina Faso's military dissolved parliament and announced a transitional government on Thursday (30 October), after violent protests against President Blaise Compaoré, but it was not immediately clear who was in charge.

Climate change at ground zero

Burkina Faso is located in the heart of the Sahel, which means that it is one of the world’s most vulnerable countries when it comes to climate change.

West African states close to trade deal with EU

West African nations held last-minute talks yesterday (27 March) to address lingering doubts over an agreement with the European Union that would open up the region's economy of 300 million consumers to tariff-free trade, officials said.