The Latest Breaking News from Burkina Faso

Burkina Faso is a west African dryland country known for its diverse ecosystems, including savannas, forests and wetlands. Large herbivores like elephant, giraffe and hippopotamus, and predators like lions, leopards and the African lynx, roam the country’s savannas. Many bird species use the country as a stopover or wintering ground,…

Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso withdraw from ECOWAS, forming a new security partnership. Challenges and implications for regional stability.

In early January, Côte d’Ivoire announced that French troops would be withdrawing from the country and the military base of Port-Bouët would be handed over to Côte d’Ivoire’s army. The announcement is part of a seismic shift in France’s decades-long presence across francophone Africa.

Earlier this month, soldiers swooped by helicopter into a vast mining complex in western Mali and made away with three tonnes of gold -- all done on the orders of the military government.

Ghana's President John Dramani Mahama has appointed a former national security chief as envoy to the alliance formed by Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso, signalling his administration's intention to mend ties with the three military-led nations.

Niger’s defense minister says the junta-led West African countries of Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali have created a joint force that will soon be deployed in the restive Sahel region against rising extremist violence

The withdrawal of Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso – who have formed their own Alliance of Sahel States – from West African bloc Ecowas is set to take effect on 29 January, with security experts and members of the diaspora voicing concern over what lies ahead.

John Mahama has been sworn in as Ghana’s new president. He inherits a host of security challenges by dint of the country’s position in the west African region, which has become increasingly volatile.

The Sahel region of Africa, between the Sahara and the tropical savannahs to the south, has emerged as a significant base of groups that want to establish jihadist states.