Read Time: 3 minutes
France originally entered the Sahel to allegedly prevent the southern movement of jihadist elements strengthened by the NATO-led war in LibyaJanuary 25, 2023 by Vijay Prashad
On January 18, 2023, the government of Burkina Faso made a decision to ask the French military forces to depart from the country within a month. This decision was made by the government of Captain Ibrahim Traoré, who staged the second coup of 2022 in Burkina Faso in September to remove Lieutenant Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba, who had seized power in a coup d’état in January. Traoré, now the interim president of Burkina Faso, said that Damiba, who is in exile in Togo, had not fulfilled the objectives of the Patriotic Movement for Safeguarding and Restoration, the name of their military group. Traoré’s government accused Damiba of not being able to stem the insurgency in the country’s north and of colluding with the French (alleging that Damiba had taken refuge in the French military base at Kamboinsin to launch a strike against the coup within a coup).
France entered the Sahel region in 2013 to prevent the southern movement of jihadist elements strengthened by the war in Libya, prosecuted by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). In the past few years, anti-French sentiment has deepened in North Africa and the Sahel. It was this sentiment that provoked the coups in Mali (August 2020 and May 2021), Guinea (September 2021), and then in Burkina Faso (January 2022 and September 2022). In February 2022, Mali’s government ejected the French military, accusing French forces of committing atrocities against civilians and colluding with jihadi insurgents. Burkina Faso has now joined Mali.
The ejection of France does not mean that there will be no NATO countries in the region. Both the United States and Britain have a large footprint from Morocco to Niger, with the United States trying to draw African countries into its contest against China and Russia. Regular trips by US military leaders—such as US Marine Corps General Michael Langley (commander of US Africa Command) to Gabon in mid-January – and by US civilian leaders—like Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen to Senegal, South Africa, and Zambia—are part of a full-court press to ensure that African states forge closer ties with the United States and its allies over China. The designation of Russia’s Wagner Group—which is said to be operating in the Sahel—as a “transnational criminal organization ” by the United States and the US–Africa Leaders Summit, held in mid-December, are both attempts to draw African states into a new cold war.
Almost half of the Burkinabé population lives below the poverty line, and “more than 630,000 people are on the brink of starvation,” in the country, according to the UN. The country is, however, not poor with its gold export reaching $7.19 billion in 2020. These gains do not go to the Burkinabé people but go to the large mining companies. Ejection of the French military will not be the answer to these deep-seated problems faced by Burkina Faso.
Vijay Prashad is an Indian historian, editor, and journalist. He is a writing fellow and chief correspondent at Globetrotter. He is an editor of LeftWord Books and the director of Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research. He is a senior non-resident fellow at Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies, Renmin University of China. He has written more than 20 books, including The Darker Nations and The Poorer Nations. His latest books are Struggle Makes Us Human: Learning from Movements for Socialism and (with Noam Chomsky) The Withdrawal: Iraq, Libya, Afghanistan, and the Fragility of US Power.
This article was produced by Globetrotter.
Highly descriptive article, I enjoyed that a lot. Will there be a part
2?
Hello! I’ve bеen following ʏour web ѕite for some timе
now aand finallу got the bravery t᧐ go ahead and give you a shoutt outt from Kingwood Tx!
Just wanted to say keep up the great work!
Good site you’ve got here.. It’s hard to find high-quality writing like yours these
days. I really appreciate individuals like you! Take care!!
It is perfect time to make some plans for the future and it’s time to be happy.
I’ve read this post and if I could I want to suggest you few interesting things or advice.
Maybe you could write next articles referring to this article.
I wish to read more things about it!
Feel free to visit my page: coparts com
Hі woᥙld you mind stating ԝhich blog platform ｙou’re
working with? I’m planning tо start my оwn blog ѕoon but I’m having a haгd
time selecting betwеen BlogEngine/Wordpress/Β2evolution and Drupal.
Τhe reason I asҝ is becaᥙse youг layout ѕeems different thｅn most blogs and I’m looking fⲟr somethіng unique.
Ρ.S Μy apologies f᧐r beіng off-topic but
I had to ask!
my web site – room right
Credit limits may perhaps be larger than those of secured credit cards.
No matter what your gambling preference is, Drake Casino has you covered.
Hello would you mind sharing which blog platform you’re using?
I’m planning to start my own blog in the near future but I’m having a hard time deciding between BlogEngine/Wordpress/B2evolution and Drupal.
The reason I ask is because your design and style seems different then most
blogs and I’m looking for something completely unique. P.S Sorry
for being off-topic but I had to ask!
This design is steller! Yoᥙ mօst certainlү know how to keeρ a reader
entertained. Вetween your wit and your videos, I ѡas almоst moved
to start my оwn blog (well, almоst…HaHa!) Fantastic job.
Ӏ rеally loved ԝhat you haԀ t᧐ ѕay, аnd more than that,
һow you presented іt. Ƭoo cool!
Feel free tоо visit mｙ hߋmepage :: new york times
Very good information. Lucky me I discovered your blog by accident (stumbleupon).
I’ve book marked it for later!
Buy Microsoft Windows 11 Pro License Key at the most affordable price! With free technical support available. Instant delivery 24/7.
I couⅼԁ not resist commenting. Very well written!
Here іѕ my blog; dining гoom chairs (http://alowaisint.com/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=megafurniture.sg%2Fblogs%2Finterior-design-review%2Fyonder)
Good day! Do you use Twitter? I’d like to follow you if that would be okay.
I’m definitely enjoying your blog and look forward to new updates.
A fascinating discussion is definitely worth comment. There’s no doubt that that you need to
publish more on this subject, it may not be a taboo matter but usually people
don’t speak about such subjects. To the next! Many thanks!!
This internet site is my inhalation, real fantastic style and
Perfect content.
Also visit my blog :: craigslist auto parts
І constantly emailed this webpage post paɡe to all my
contacts, foг tһe reason that if likе to reаd it thеn my friends will toօ.
Also visit my paɡe … interior space (Val)
Heya i’m for the primary time here. I came across this
board and I to find It truly useful & it helped me out much.
I’m hoping to give something again and help others such as you helped me.
First of all I want to say wonderful blog! I
had a quick question which I’d like to ask if you don’t mind.
I was interested to find out how you center yourself and clear
your thoughts prior to writing. I have had
a hard time clearing my mind in getting my thoughts out.
I do enjoy writing however it just seems like the first 10 to 15 minutes are generally lost just trying
to figure out how to begin. Any suggestions or tips?
Cheers!
You’ve made some decent points there. I looked on the internet for
more info about the issue and found most people
will go along with your views on this website.
Thanks for everү one of yoᥙr efforts on this
web page. My mother taҝeѕ pleasure in carrying ߋut researcһ
and it’s rｅally easy to ѕee why. Aⅼmost aⅼl notice all
relating to the compelling manner уou convey greɑt guidance Ƅʏ meɑns of y᧐ur blog and even recommend participation fгom oters ⲟn thiѕ subject matter whilе our օwn simple princess iѕ without question starting tο learn so mucһ.
Tаke advantage ߋf thе rest of the yeaг. Yօu aгe always
performing a fantastic job.[X-N-E-W-L-I-N-S-P-I-N-X]I am extremely inspired ѡith your writing abilities аnd also with the format іn үour blog.
Is that this a paid topic оr dіd y᧐u customize it yourѕеⅼf?
Αnyway stay ᥙp the nice quality writing, іt’ѕ uncommon to seе a greɑt weblog lіke this one theѕе days.
Feel free to surf to my web site; ideal living room
You ought to take part in a contest for one of the highest quality blogs on the internet.
I’m going to recommend this site!
Here is my blog post :: 2012 jeep patriot
Digital marketing techniques aid your business to obtain its objectives and also improve ROI. They are actually an important part of a marketing strategy, https://pediascape.science/wiki/Exactly_How_To_Choose_The_Right_Digital_Marketing_Approach_For_Your_Business.