France cuts aid to Burkina Faso, and Mali removes French as an official language
The French government has announced the suspension of financial assistance to Burkina Faso due to the West African country's stance on the coup d'état in Niger.
"France is suspending, until further notice, all its development aid and budget support actions in Burkina Faso," the ministry said in a statement, without going into detail.
The decision comes days after ruling juntas in Burkina Faso and Mali declared their support for Nigerien coup plotters and threatened to view any armed intervention against Niamey's new military leadership as a declaration of war.
The coup d'état in Niger on 26 July saw the ousting and detention of President Mohamed Bazoum and the closure of national institutions. The military explained that they had decided to "put an end to the deteriorating security situation and bad governance".
Bazoum, elected in 2021, welcomed 1,500 French troops to Niger last year to fight a jihadist insurgency in Africa's Sahel region after France withdrew from Mali amid deteriorating relations with the country's leadership.
France has expressed alarm at the plight of its only remaining military partner in the Sahel region and, like other Western and regional leaders, has condemned the takeover.
Allies of the deposed government, including France, have imposed sanctions in an attempt to force military leaders to restore constitutional order, but General Abdourahamane Tchiani – head of the transitional government – has said he will not submit to the threats.
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) issued a week-long ultimatum to military leaders last week, warning that it would send troops if Tchiani and his cabinet of generals did not hand over power and reinstate President Bazoum. The deadline passed on Sunday, prompting the military government to close the country's airspace until further notice.
Last week, Niger's new junta revoked five military deals with France dating from 1977 to 2020 amid a growing wave of anti-French protests, with some locals accusing the former colonial power to meddle in their affairs.
Air France cuts flights to Burkina Faso and Mali
Meanwhile, Air France announced on Monday it was halting flights to and from Burkina Faso and Mali until August 11, following the closure of Niger's airspace.
Earlier this year, Burkina Faso ended a military deal that allowed French forces to fight Islamist insurgencies linked to al-Qaeda and the Islamic State. The military government has insisted that Ouagadougou would defend itself against threats from militants. At this point the hostility between the two countries is open
Mali abandons French as an official language
French ceases to be the official language of Mali, after the approval of the new constitution , ceasing a status that had lasted since 1960, i.e. since independence. Another 13 languages of the country will become official languages and French will remain as the "Working Language". Yet another sign of the decline of French power in West Africa.
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This is a machine translation of a post published on Scenari Economici at the URL https://scenarieconomici.it/la-francia-taglia-gli-aiuti-al-burkina-faso-e-il-mali-toglie-il-francese-come-lingua-ufficiale/ on Wed, 09 Aug 2023 11:00:22 +0000.