The office of the US Trade Representative stated that the decision was taken because of worries about “unconstitutional change” in the political system.
According to the US Trade Representative’s (USTR) office, Burkina Faso has been removed from the US’s trade preference programme due to serious concerns over an “unconstitutional change” in the country’s government.
Two military coups in Burkina Faso occurred in 2022 as a result of frustration with the government’s inability to stop armed group activity. Although efforts to increase security have been made by both the previous and current military governments, the attacks have persisted.
The African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) provides sub-Saharan African nations with duty-free access to the US if they meet specific eligibility requirements, including making progress towards political pluralism.
The USTR’s office said Burkina Faso had failed to meet the requirements of the AGOA statute and would be given “clear benchmarks” for a pathway towards reinstatement to the trade programme, adding that Washington would work with Ouagadougou.
On Monday, the Burkinabe Ministry of Foreign Affairs reacted to the decision by repeating a November statement saying the timetable for a return to democracy had not changed.
Burkina Faso had committed to returning to constitutional rule in 24 months in a July agreement with the West African regional bloc ECOWAS.
Burkina Faso, one of the world’s poorest countries, has been in the grip of a conflict in which armed groups linked to al-Qaeda and ISIL (ISIS) have killed thousands of civilians and created one of the continent’s fastest-growing humanitarian crises.
Nearly two million people have been displaced who reside in makeshift camps, many run by the United Nations, that dot the arid countryside.
The violence, which has rumbled on for about seven years, has been focused in the north and east, crippling local economies, causing mass hunger, and restricting access to aid organisations.
Just before Christmas, Burkina Faso’s military government asked a senior UN official to exit the country. The UN contested the decision saying “the doctrine of persona non grata does not apply to United Nations officials”.
Source: Aljazeera.com