Author: World Neighbours Canada

by Judy Gray, WNC director, with information from Charles Tankoano

We recently received the following information from Charles Tankoano, coordinator of APDC, our partner NGO in Burkina Faso. I had emailed to ask for on-the-ground information about the horrible massacre that took place in the capital city, Ouagadougou, on January 16, 2016. Though our project activities take place in the Fada n’Gourma region, about 200 km. east of Ouagadougou, the recent attack on innocent people has resulted in a dramatic reaction from the populace. Here is a translation of Charles’ email: “Thank you for your concern about this drama in Ouagadougou. We are doing well but no one is happy with these attacks by Muslim extremists. They undermine the security that our country has been benefitting from, and which had rendered this landlocked and impoverished country attractive to other countries and peoples. Peace, stability and security had been preserved until that day and had allowed Burkina Faso to be a country open to the world. These deadly attacks will likely have a significant negative impact on the dynamism of tourist visits to this country,  especially those visiting from western countries. Despite this recent problem, the Burkinabé people continue their daily activities throughout the country and calm has returned. The army and all other security forces have divided the country into sectors in order to ensure greater oversight and control. The leaders of the neighbouring West African countries are pooling their efforts and discussing strategies to better cope with this threat.”

For more information on the Al-Qaeda attack, please click on one of the following links: BBC or CBC . Continue reading “APDC perspective on attacks in Ouagadougou”

by Judy Gray with information from Charles Tankoano

Presidential elections were to have taken place in October 2015, but were delayed after the recent coup. I was anxious to hear whether the election process would proceed at the end of November after that coup, and apparently that was the case. Charles Tankoano, coordinator of our partner NGO, APDC, recently sent the following information:  “There were presidential elections in Burkina Faso last November 2015. The elections were very well run; quiet, free (because there was no former president who was running), and transparent ~ and the results were accepted by all candidates and all the people . The president-elect , not yet invested, named Rock Marc Christian Kabore , comes from a new party that he created a year ago . The political organization, those of civil society and the whole population are all in perfect agreement with this result. He will serve a 5-year term and may be reelected only once because our constitution currently limits the presidential term to 2 terms. No president would consider amending the constitution to perpetuate itself in power in Burkina Faso; anyone who might try to change this will find the entire people will block his path.”           I was pleased to get this news and certainly hope that these election results will herald the beginning of a more peaceful period for the country. To read more about these elections, click on the link: BBC news, Burkina Faso elections

According to recent news reports, and confirmed by Charles Tankoano of our partner NGO (APDC), the situation in Burkina Faso is more settled. Charles writes: “Calm has returned but it is not very reassuring because the splinter group (RSP) is not yet fully désarmé. But disarmament continues. The whole country is mobilized to resolve this situation in the best interests of the people.” However, Charles also adds that a lingering worry is the support and power of former president, Blaise Compaore, currently in exile in Morocco, but whom Charles believes is secretly supported by France and some other African countries. Thus, looking to the future, the political situation in Burkina Faso and some of its neighbours remains unsettled. The upcoming elections, slated for October 11, 2015 will be critical for the people of Burkina Faso and I’m sure there will be ongoing updates. For more information about the recent political events, click on the links below.

BBC news: Seven lessons from Burkina Faso’s seven-day coup

BBC news: Michel Kafanda re-instated as president

by Judy Gray, with information from Charles Tankoano

I have received two emails recently from Charles Tankoano, coordinator of APDC, our partner NGO in Burkina Faso. A couple of days ago he mentioned that, though the coup was disrupting life in Ouagadougou, it was not affecting life in the rural areas like Fada, where the World Neighbours Canada project is centred. People were travelling on the roads a little less often and taking more care during the village visits. Today Charles is in Ouagadougou and had added more information which I have translated from French into English while keeping the intent of his message: ” I am at the moment in Ouagadougou but it is not easy, even in Fada, because of the nearby border with Togo (Togo’s president is a friend of President Blaise Compaore ~ the Burkinabe president ousted a year ago), and there has been an entry attempt by Togolese soldiers against Burkina. We pray to God that the situation quickly ends with medium damage (as little damage as possible).” Let us hope that Charles is right.

Here are links to two news reports with updated information:

BBC news       Reuters news