In 1984 Upper Volta changed its name to Burkina Faso, which means the “Land of Upright People.”
On Sept. 30, Captain Ibrahim Traoré led a section of the Burkina Faso military to depose Lieutenant Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba, who himself had seized power in a coup d’état in January.
The coups in the Sahel are coups against the conditions of life afflicting most people in the region, conditions created by the theft of sovereignty by multinational corporations and the old colonial ruler.
The World Bank notes that 40 percent of Burkinabé live below the poverty line.
Burkina Faso is not a poor country. It is the fourth-largest producer of gold on the African continent.
With a minimum of $2 billion per year in gold sales, it is extraordinary that this country of 22 million people remains mired in such poverty.
Instead, the bulk of the revenue is siphoned off by mining firms from Canada and Australia — Barrick Gold, Goldrush Resources, Semafo and Gryphon Minerals — as well as their counterparts in Europe. These firms transfer the profits into their own bank accounts and some, such as Randgold Resources, into the tax havens.
The Malian singer Oumou Sangaré released a wonderful song, “Kêlê Magni” or “War Is a Plague,” in February, which speaks for the entire Sahel:
War is a plague! My country might disappear!
I tell you: war is not a solution!
War has no friends nor allies, and there are no real enemies.
All people suffer from this war: Burkina, Côte d’Ivoire… everyone!
Taken from here
When Will the Stars Align Again for Burkina Faso? – Consortium News
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