Land area under ECOWAS, which is condemned by West Africa’s popular movements as an agent of French imperialism, has been reduced to less than half after their withdrawal

At the UN General Assembly, Mali and Burkina Faso reiterated their rejection of a military intervention against Niger, recalling the devastating 2011 NATO-led war on Libya and its role in fueling violence in the Sahel

As an ECOWAS military threat looms over Niger, the three countries have formally declared that any act of aggression against one will be considered an aggression against all. The leaders of Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger have come to power in popularly-backed coups amid mass anti-French anger and rising insecurity in the Sahel

Captain Ibrahim Traoré denounced Western neo-colonialism, pledges an end to poverty and deadly mass migration from Africa

The three West African countries, all of whom have recently undergone military takeovers amid rising public anger against France, have agreed to a Bamako-Conakry -Ouagadougou axis, with enhanced cooperation on matters ranging from trade to the fight against insecurity

France originally entered the Sahel to allegedly prevent the southern movement of jihadist elements strengthened by the NATO-led war in Libya

Captain Ibrahim Traore came to power after deposing his senior officer Lt. Col Paul-Henri Damiba in a military coup on September 30. He faces the challenge of rising attacks by Islamist groups which have taken over 40% of the country’s territory

The trial of Compaoré for the murder of revolutionary Thomas Sankara lasted six months and 100 witnesses testified against him and 13 others.

Over 1,000 employees lost their jobs when the Inata Mine was shut down in 2017. The Ghana-based Balaji Group, which took over the company in 2018, has not opened the mine and has not provided workers compensation for the period either