Connect with us

Musings From Abroad

US excludes Burkina Faso from trade agreement with African countries. Here’s why

Published

on

The recent wave of military incursion in government in the West African country, Burkina Faso has led to its exclusion from a United States trade agreement with African countries.

The White House made the announcement Wednesday while justifying the decision by the lack of progress toward a return to democracy. Burkina Faso has witnessed two military coups since early 2022.

Burkina Faso’s ruling junta, the Patriotic Movement for Safeguard and Restoration (MPSR) under Colonel Damiba’s reign had signed a charter setting a three-year transition period before the country held elections.

But Damiba was in October ousted through a coup by a trusted associate, Captain Ibrahim Traore, who has promised to stick with the transition arrangement.

The US President Joe Biden said in a letter sent to Congress, “I have made this decision because I have determined that the government of Burkina Faso has not established, or made continued progress toward establishing, respect for the rule of law and political pluralism,” which are necessary elements of the African Growth Opportunities Act (Agoa) program.

According to the statement, the US Trade Ambassador, Katherine Tai emphasized the need for “Burkina Faso to make the necessary decisions to meet the terms of the agreement and the return of democracy.

“I will provide Burkina Faso with a clear roadmap to reintegrate into the program and our administration will work with them to make that happen,” Tai said.

The United States and Burkina Faso engage in a number of relations mainly in form of military training and exchange programs, including counterterrorism and peacekeeping operations.

 

Musings From Abroad

UN Security Council deliberates stance on Sudan war

Published

on

The UN Security Council is discussing a British-drafted resolution calling on Sudan’s warring parties to stop hostilities and permit safe, quick, and unimpeded assistance supplies across borders and front lines.

 

The world’s largest relocation crisis began in April 2023 when the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces engaged in a power battle ahead of a planned transfer to civilian administration.

 

Waves of ethnically motivated violence have resulted, with the RSF mostly to blame. The RSF has blamed the action on rogue actors and denies causing harm to civilians in Sudan. Two RSF generals were named last week by a Security Council committee in the first U.N. sanctions levied during the ongoing conflict.

 

 

“Nineteen months into the war, both sides are committing egregious human rights violations, including the widespread rape of women and girls,” Britain’s U.N. ambassador, Barbara Woodward, told reporters at the start of this month as Britain assumed the Security Council’s presidency for November.

 

 

“More than half the Sudanese population are experiencing severe food insecurity,” she said. “Despite this, the SAF and the RSF remain focussed on fighting each other and not the famine and suffering facing their country.”

 

 

According to diplomats, Britain wants to vote on the draft resolution as soon as possible. A resolution must receive nine votes or more to pass and not be vetoed by the United States, France, Britain, Russia, or China.

 

 

Nearly 25 million people, or half of Sudan’s population, require aid, according to the U.N., since 11 million people have abandoned their homes and famine has spread to displacement camps. Of those, around 3 million have departed for other nations.

 

In its draft language, Britain “demands that the warring parties immediately cease hostilities” and “demands that the Rapid Support Forces immediately halt its offensives” throughout Sudan.

 

 

It also “calls on the parties to the conflict to allow and facilitate the full, safe, rapid, and unhindered crossline and cross-border humanitarian access into and throughout Sudan.”

 

Additionally, the draft urges that assistance deliveries continue to be made through the Adre border crossing with Chad “and stresses the need to sustain humanitarian access through all border crossings, while humanitarian needs persist, and without impediments.”

 

Sudanese authorities have permitted the U.N. and relief organisations to enter Darfur through the Adre border crossing for three months, ending in mid-November.

TV

Continue Reading

Musings From Abroad

South Africa worry Trump’s victory might affect climate fight

Published

on

South Africa’s environment minister has expressed concern about the potential effects of Donald Trump’s victory on climate change negotiations.

The demise of Germany’s coalition government this week and Trump’s election coincide with COP29 negotiations to address global warming, which experts credit for this year’s devastating hurricanes, floods, and heatwaves.

“We are concerned about America because we don’t know what they’re going to do … how (it) is going to approach COP,” South African Environment Minister Dion George told Reuters.

“Mr. Trump said that he would withdraw from the Paris Agreement, but we don’t know what will happen,” George added in a telephone interview on Friday.

International partners are concerned that the prospect of an administration led by Trump, who has called climate change a hoax, will de-motivate poor and middle-income countries who want rich nations to shoulder more of its financial burden.

South Africa, which is one of the world’s top 15 greenhouse gas emitters and accounts for 30% of the continent’s emissions, has accepted $11.6 billion from rich nations, mainly in loans, for a switch from coal to renewable energy.

This is seen as a potential model for other ‘Global South’ countries who say financing pledges of $100 billion, which took years to come through, are insufficient.

“It’s certainly not enough. We need another target,” George said. “But then the question is: as the voter base is shifting in developed economies, are they actually going to pay it?”

The South African minister said he had been reassured by German officials that Europe’s stance at the COP29 climate talks will not be hurt by Berlin’s political crisis.

George said that Jennifer Morgan, Germany’s state secretary for international climate action, had contacted him to say it will be up to the European Union to maintain leadership.

“Their position is not changed and that is how they will approach COP,” George said, adding: “They’re on Team Europe. The European Union and German have clearly set out their objectives.”

Continue Reading

EDITOR’S PICK

Tech54 minutes ago

Bolt invests $107m in Nigeria to boost safety standards

Ride-hailing platform, Bolt, has announced an investment of $107 million in its bid to boost safety and service quality in...

Sports11 hours ago

South Africa’s FA president Danny Jordaan arrested on fraud, theft allegations

The President of South African Football Association (SAFA), Danny Jordaan, has been arrested on allegations of fraud and theft. Jordaan,...

Metro12 hours ago

Chinese mining giant CNMC set for $1.6 billion investment in Zambia

A Chinese mining giant, China Nonferrous Metal Mining Company (CNMC), has announced the investment of over $1.6 billion in Zambia,...

Metro18 hours ago

Mpox immunisation scarcity slows Kinshasa’s epidemic fight

A lack of mpox vaccine doses has prevented the Democratic Republic of the Congo from starting a campaign in the...

VenturesNow18 hours ago

After decades of imports, Nigeria ends oil importation

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) has declared that it has finally stopped the long-standing practice of importing petroleum...

Politics18 hours ago

Ghana’s Supreme Court reinstates ruling party’s majority

The ruling New Patriotic Party regained its majority in the legislature ahead of the Dec. 7 election after Ghana’s Supreme...

Politics18 hours ago

Senegal: PM Sonko urges followers to avenge campaign violence

Senegal’s Prime Minister, Ousmane Sonko, has advised Pastef party followers to exact retribution for claimed violence against them during the...

Musings From Abroad18 hours ago

UN Security Council deliberates stance on Sudan war

The UN Security Council is discussing a British-drafted resolution calling on Sudan’s warring parties to stop hostilities and permit safe,...

Metro21 hours ago

Nigerian journalist claims US govt filing confirms Tinubu as ‘CIA Agent’

Nigerian journalist, David Hundeyin, has claimed the United States government has described President Bola Tinubu as a “Special CIA Asset”...

Tech2 days ago

Egyptian VC Flat6Labs partners ITIDA to launch programme for tech startups

Egyptian Venture Capital firm, Flat6Labs, has partnered with Egypt’s Information Technology Industry Development Agency (ITIDA) to launch an InvestIT programme...

Trending