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Tag: Burkina

  • Burkina Faso’s leader Ibrahim Traoré scores hat-trick in match against African football legends

    Burkina Faso’s leader Ibrahim Traoré scores hat-trick in match against African football legends

    Burkina Faso’s military leader, Ibrahim Traoré, made headlines on March 26, 2025, after delivering an impressive performance in a football match featuring some of Africa’s most celebrated legends.

    Captaining a team of non-legendary players, Traoré put on a spectacular show, netting three goals in style.

    His first came from a perfectly executed free-kick that sailed past the goalkeeper.

    He followed up with a powerful strike from distance before completing his hat-trick by swiftly reacting to a rebound and slotting the ball home.

    The star-studded game featured legendary footballers, including former Togo captain Emmanuel Adebayor and Nigerian maestro Jay-Jay Okocha. Also on the field were Cameroon’s Stéphane Mbia, along with Senegalese greats Mamadou Niang and Souleymane Diawara.

    Traoré’s standout performance has captivated fans and sports enthusiasts alike, earning him admiration not just as a leader but as a skilled footballer.

    At 37, he continues to prove that his talents extend beyond the political arena and onto the football pitch.

  • 2013: Mahama hot over “GHC47m Guinea Fowls flew to Burkina” scandal

    2013: Mahama hot over “GHC47m Guinea Fowls flew to Burkina” scandal

    President John Mahama has instructed the Minister responsible for Development Authorities at the Presidency, Alhaji Mustapha Ahmed, to provide the Chief of Staff with a detailed report on the GH¢47 million Guinea fowl and afforestation projects within a two-week timeframe.

    The Asongtaba guinea fowl project has utilized GH¢15 million, while GH¢32 million has been allocated to the afforestation project, yet there is no evidence of the planted trees.

    A statement from the Presidency, signed by Dr. Raymond A. Atuguba, Executive Secretary to the President, announced that the report would be compiled in collaboration with the Savanna Accelerated Development Authority (SADA) Board to address concerns regarding the controversial projects in the Northern region.

    This directive followed pressure from a civil society group called Transparency and Accountability Forum (TAF), which challenged President Mahama to clarify his connection to the AGAAMS Group of Companies. The AGAAMS Group, which includes Rlg and Asongtaba, is working with SADA on the multi-million Ghana cedi guinea fowl and afforestation initiatives in the SADA area.

    The Presidency’s statement was issued in response to a DAILY GUIDE article about TAF’s claims linking President Mahama to the AGAAMS Group. The civil society group suggested that the AGAAMS group was benefiting from favorable treatment from the NDC government, citing the allocation of lucrative projects and government contracts to the company.

    President Mahama, however, refuted the allegations in a statement released on Sunday, denying any ownership of shares in the AGAAMS Group or any business partnership with the Group.

    ‘This is to clarify that President John Dramani Mahama has no personal or business interest in AGAAMS Group of Companies,’ the statement said, adding that ‘the Chief of Staff (Prosper Douglas Bani) has already directed the Minister at the Presidency in-Charge of Development Authorities to, in consultation with the Savanna Accelerated Development Authority (SADA) Board, present a report on the projects that were the subject matter of the said publication’.

  • Burkina, Mali and Niger’s decision to exit ECOWAS must be reconsidered – Analyst

    Burkina, Mali and Niger’s decision to exit ECOWAS must be reconsidered – Analyst


    An Analyst with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), Emmanuel K. Bensah, has criticized the recent decision by Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger to withdraw from ECOWAS, describing it as an imprudent move.

    Bensah believes that the timing for these countries to exit the organization is not ideal, citing potential logistical challenges that may arise as a result.

    Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, currently governed by military regimes that ousted civilian leaders, officially announced their decision to break away from ECOWAS on January 28, 2024.

    In a joint statement issued on that day, the countries expressed regret and disappointment, stating, “After 49 years, the valiant peoples of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger regretfully and with great disappointment observe that the (ECOWAS) organization has drifted from the ideals of its founding fathers and the spirit of Pan-Africanism.”

    They asserted that ECOWAS had not provided support to these nations in their fight against terrorism and insecurity.

    “Indeed, the organization has not provided assistance to our States in the context of our existential fight against terrorism and insecurity; worse, when these States decided to take their destiny into their own hands, it adopted an irrational and unacceptable posture by imposing illegal, illegitimate, inhumane, and irresponsible sanctions in violation of its texts; all things which have further weakened populations already bruised by years of violence imposed by instrumentalized and remote-controlled terrorist hordes.”

    The statement further criticized the organization for imposing what they deemed as illegal, illegitimate, inhumane, and irresponsible sanctions when the countries decided to take control of their destinies.

    However, in an interview with Umaru Sanda Amadu on Eyewitness News on Citi FM on January 29, 2024, Bensah highlighted the drawbacks of the decision.

    “Now these three countries would no longer enjoy the visa-free ration in West Africa. They will now need to apply for Visas to enter Ghana and other ECOWAS countries. Now, what about Malians who are in Ghana, they will no longer be ECOWAS citizens.”

    “Malians who are in any other ECOWAS country, they will no longer be ECOWAS citizens, they will not be treated as such. They will now have to apply as if they are aliens to the ECOWAS community.”

    He emphasized that citizens of these countries would now face limitations, needing to apply for visas to enter Ghana and other ECOWAS countries. This departure would also mean that Malians and citizens of the other countries would lose their ECOWAS citizenship privileges.

    Bensah suggested that a more constructive approach would have been for the countries to engage in dialogue with ECOWAS, expressing their concerns about the treatment they received, rather than opting for withdrawal. He urged the countries to reconsider their decision.

  • Burkina: Six civilians killed in attack near Ghana and Togo

    Four teachers were among the six civilians murdered in a suspected jihadist attack on Sunday in Bittou, a town in Burkina Faso close to the Ghana-Togo border, according to security and local sources on Monday November 5.

    A group of armed men burst into a neighbourhood in Bittou late Sunday afternoon and opened fire on a group of workers, killing six people, a security source told AFP.

    “The defence and security forces as well as the Volunteers for the Defence of the Fatherland (VDP), civilian auxiliaries to the army, “immediately set off after the terrorists, who retreated to the nearby Nouhao forest”, according to this source.

    Confirming the attack and the death toll, the regional coordination of the Federation of National Unions of Education and Research Workers (F-Synter), said in a statement that four teachers from the departmental high school of Bittou, including the headmaster, were among the victims.

    “This cowardly and barbaric murder is the second to be suffered by education staff in our region after the one in Maytagou on 27 April 2019,” said Ouédraogo Al Hassan, regional coordinator of F-Synter.

    Located in the Centre-East region, Bittou is on the road between Ouagadougou and Lomé. It is an important town close to the borders of Togo and Ghana where commercial activity is very important.

    Since 2015, Burkina Faso has been regularly plagued by increasingly frequent jihadist attacks that have killed thousands and forced some two million people to flee their homes.

    These attacks have increased in recent months, mainly in the north and east of the country.

    On 26 November, four Burkinabe soldiers were killed in an improvised explosive device in the north of the country and three civilians died in another attack in the north-east, according to security and local sources.

     

    Source: African news

  • Burkina asks France for “weapons and ammunition” for the VDPs

    Burkinabe Prime Minister Apollinaire Kiélem de Tembela has asked France for “weapons and ammunition” for army auxiliaries who are helping him in his fight against jihadists, according to an article from his communications service.

    During a meeting on Tuesday with Luc Hallade, French Ambassador to Burkina Faso, the Prime Minister “stressed that the partners’ efforts must focus on the deep aspirations of the people of Burkina Faso, a people committed to defending themselves for freedom, against barbarism and terrorism”, indicates this article consulted Thursday by AFP.

    “This is what justifies the launch of the operation to recruit 50,000 Volunteers for the Defense of the Homeland (VDP)”, the army auxiliaries, he explained, adding: “France could help this popular resistance by providing arms and ammunition and also taking into account the financial support of the brave fighters.

    To Mr Hallade’s “concerns” “about the impossibility for French NGOs based in Burkina Faso to travel to the field for their activities “, Mr Kyelem de Tembela replied: “This is the reason why you must help us to have the necessary equipment to overcome terrorism”.

    “The Burkinabè are looking for a lifeline for their country and if this lifeline must come from another country other than France, why not?”, he added.

    The Burkinabè Prime Minister also affirmed during this meeting that “Burkina Faso has been cornered for six years and nobody is moved”. He considered that France “showed a different solicitude when it came to helping Ukraine in the recent conflict between it and Russia”.

    At the end of his meeting with Mr Kyélem de Tembela, Luc Hallade felt that everyone had an “interest” in ensuring that Burkina, plagued by jihadist violence, “stays upright “.

    This request for help to the VDPs “is made repeatedly, whether by him (the Prime Minister) or by other authorities” and “it is a complaint that remains on the table”, according to a French diplomatic source.

    “But the question for us is: if you need help in the fight against terrorism, why don’t you call on the (French) special forces who are based in Kamboinsin (near Ouagadougou) and who are available to intervene? The only condition for intervention is that you ask us,” she added.

    According to this source, “we accuse France of not helping, but when there is a tool which is immediately available and a priori effective for an intervention” which “we do not call on, it is very complex”.

    The VDPs are paying a heavy price in the jihadist attacks by groups linked to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State which regularly strike Burkina Faso, particularly in the north and east.

    Since 2015, Burkinabe civilians and soldiers have been regularly bereaved by increasingly frequent jihadist attacks, particularly in the north and east, which have killed thousands and forced some two million people to flee their homes.

     

    Source: African News

  • ‘Dozens of foreigners are still hiding in my community’ – Akokoamong Assemblyman laments

    The Assembly member for Akokoamong Electoral Area in the Ejisu Municipality, Hon Daniel Owusu, has disclosed that dozens of foreigners are still hiding in the community at the blindside of authorities in the area.

    Some of these outlanders according to the assembly member are engaging in rogue operations including operating a school for men between the ages of 18 to 30.

    It is yet to be known by authorities as to what they are teaching the men who have been camped at secret places in the community.

    The foreigners suspected to hail from Cameroon, Niger, Burkina, and other neighboring countries have been camping secretly without the notice of authorities in the area.

    In an interview on the Kumasi-based OTEC 102.9 FM’s morning show, Nyansapo, on Monday, September 26, 2022, Hon Daniel Owusu said although police in the region have arrested some of these foreigners, dozens of them are still hiding in the community.

    “Sources in the community say there are many of these immigrants hiding in our area, and I must say the situation has sparked fear among us.”

    ARREST OF FOREIGNERS

    Police in the Ashanti Region on Thursday, September 22, 2022, arrested 48 foreigners suspected to be illegal immigrants living in a five-bedroom house at Akokoamong.

    The arrest follows a combined action by Security officials and community members who claimed to have observed the suspicious moves by these people in the past few months.

    The suspects have since been held at the Ejisu Divisional Police Command assisting investigations.