Condemn or cooperate? West African leaders are grappling with that question as they scramble for the antidote to coup contagion. Since regional bloc ECOWAS decided earlier this month to play hardball with Mali's junta, tensions have spiralled far and wide. Now Bamako is expelling France's ambassador amid a war of words over the hiring of the Russian mercenaries of Wagner, right under the noses of French and EU forces there to fight a jihadist insurgency.
We ask our panel how far it will go and whether Mali is a cautionary tale for Burkina Faso, where a high-level ECOWAS delegation is meeting with the leaders of last week's coup. It is expected to decide whether to slap sanctions or offer reinforcements in the fight against the same jihadists who have spread out to the so-called Three Borders area with Burkina Faso and Niger.
It's a vicious circle that needs breaking. Poor citizens, limited resources and weak institutions enable traffickers, bandits and zealots to thrive. A beleaguered army and terrified citizens revolt against their leaders but once a new strongman takes over, what actually changes? How to truly bring law and order?
Produced by Alessandro Xenos, Juliette Laurain and Léopoldine Iribarren.
