Burkina Faso (née Upper Volta): Islamic Insurgency and Two Coups in 2022

[wuapinmon]

For the second time this year, the military in Burkina Faso has staged a coup d'etat. The pretext, both times, has been that the government isn't doing enough to fight the Islamic insurgency that controls two-fifths of the country. Here's this morning's BBC article about what's going on: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-63081706

A victim of French colonization during the "Scramble for Africa" of the late 19th-Century, since independence in 1960, Burkina Faso has seen many different coups. It's a shame that a landlocked country on the frontlines of the War on Terror has little help from anti-insurgency forces and resources. While there are over 20 million people there, it's of little geopolitical significance (at the moment). TripletDaddy once called it "one of those random countries" while mocking my long-gone, custom-made red linen shorts of yesteryear.

I don't want my son or anyone else's sons to go and fight there. It's hard to know how much you can trust a revolving-door government overseen (and overthrown) by the military so often. At some point I feel like France owes it to their former colonies to help right some of the wrongs they caused through their conquest of the area and people (and subsequent subdivision).

I don't know what would help, but I imagine that this century is going to see some bright minds figure out a way to try and atone for what was done. I'm an optimist and I think that the kids are gonna change the world, doing a better job than we or our parents have done.

[frank ryan]

France has been shoed out of some of their former colonies and had entities like Russia both be part of the reason for their backing off and hay to make for the loss of French military power. Central African Republican is a very pronounced example of this. What happens in Chad and Mali will be extremely important and interesting.

France has been the most militarily active of American NATO allies, and their principle sphere of combat has been Africa.

The Europeans and United States do have rules that prevent or make it more difficult to train militaries that are the products of coups. That might sound silly, but's been an issue in Africa.

[wuapinmon]

How France controls credit to African nations is very interesting. I imagine that it favors France immensely. https://zenodo.org/record/4076300

[frank ryan]

How France controls credit to African nations is very interesting. I imagine that it favors France immensely. https://zenodo.org/record/4076300

They basically back up and finance the CFA for former colonies, so I'm sure they've rigged it. But China will be bad in a different kind of way as financier to these places

[wuapinmon]

It looks like there won't be bloodshed from the coup, but the new leaders are decidedly pro-Russian. How anyone can look at Russia and go, "I need to get with them" beggars description to me.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-63111763

[wuapinmon]

Looks like Russian influence in the Sahel is increasing.

https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-africa-62845567?ns_mchannel=social&ns_source=twitter&ns_campaign=bbc_live&ns_linkname=633c569f194f716822a37866%26West%20Africa%20leaders%20pay%20cautious%20visit%20to%20Burkina%20Faso%262022-10-04T15%3A52%3A00.155Z&ns_fee=0&pinned_post_locator=urn:asset:516fc0b6-517b-47a8-9e63-e298862186f3&pinned_post_asset_id=633c569f194f716822a37866&pinned_post_type=share

[wuapinmon]

[wuapinmon]

https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/ten-soldiers-killed-50-wounded-attack-burkina-faso-army-base-2022-10-24/

OUAGADOUGOU, Oct 24 (Reuters) - At least ten soldiers were killed and about 50 wounded in a militant attack early Monday on an army base in Djibo, in northern Burkina Faso, the army said in a statement.

Islamist militants, some with links to al Qaeda and Islamic State, have been waging an insurgency in northern Burkina Faso since 2015. The worsening violence spurred soldiers last month to overthrow the government in the second coup this year.

[wuapinmon]

https://www.africanews.com/2022/11/11/burkina-fasos-new-transitional-legislature-takes-office/

The 71 deputies appointed to Burkina Faso's new Transitional Legislative Assembly (TLA) took office on Friday, more than a month after the coup d'etat that brought Captain Ibrahim Traore to power.

This assembly is responsible for voting on the texts of reforms planned during the transition.

The 71 deputies were appointed by the head of state (20), the defence and security forces (16), civil society organisations (12), representatives of the country's regions (13, one per region) and political parties (10).

They replace their predecessors who had been invested according to a similar mode of appointment in March, when the junta led by Lieutenant-Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba, who was overthrown at the end of September, set up the assembly.

A dozen deputies from the previous assembly were reappointed, such as Abdoulaye Soma, a former candidate in the November 2020 presidential election, or Ousmane Bougouma, a 41-year-old law professor, who was elected president of the assembly on Friday.

"Our country, Burkina Faso, is going through difficult times in its history. This is not the time for celebrations or rejoicing but rather for commitment and self-sacrifice.

"I urge you to be sober, to make a collective effort and to show patriotic commitment," he said, addressing the deputies, calling for "an uncompromising control of government action".

The establishment of this legislative body follows the adoption in mid-October of a Transitional Charter, drawn up after consultation between the ruling junta and the "active forces" of the nation (parties, unions, civil society, etc.).

[wuapinmon]

HOLY CRAP! The Islamic rebels destroyed a resupply column that's 3 miles long. This link has satellite imagery where you can see the number of vehicles destroyed. This attack is what precipitated the coup. This article is interesting even if you don't care about Burkina Faso in the least.

https://www.bellingcat.com/news/2022/11/18/five-kilometres-of-destruction-satellite-imagery-reveals-extent-of-damage-to-civilian-convoy-in-burkina-faso/

[wuapinmon]

Nearly a million people are besieged by jihadists in the north and east, with people starving each day.
https://www.barrons.com/news/nothing...de-01668666006

They worry that some 300,000 residents of Djibo will either flee, die trying, or starve to death. The jihadists have blown up bridges and mined roads and trails.

The country is in awful shape and the jihadists might win without intervention.