Joined federation pathway to economic clout – Burkina Faso PM tells Mali
The Prime Minister of Burkina Faso Apollinaire Kyelem de Tambela has called on the neighbouring country Mali to form a federation to boost their economic clout.
The Minister made the call during a visit to Mali as revealed by his office on Thursday.
He said, “We could create a flexible federation that would be mutually reinforcing and respect the aspirations of both sides.
“Mali is a major producer of cotton, cattle and gold. Burkina Faso also produces cotton, cattle and gold; So long as we each take separate paths, we don’t have much clout. But if you put Mali’s and Burkina Faso’s production of cotton, gold and cattle together, it becomes a powerhouse.”
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He referred to a past effort to forge a federation in francophone West Africa — a stillborn bid to bring together Mali, Senegal, Burkina Faso and Benin shortly before they gained independence from France in 1960.
“Our forebears tried to create groupings, like the Mali Federation, which sadly did not last. But they showed us the way,” he said.
“One of my reasons for going to Mali is that for a long time,e we’ve been looking elsewhere for solutions when they’re often right under our noses,” he continued.
The two landlocked Sahel countries rank among the poorest and most volatile nations in the world and have experienced few periods of calm since independence.
They are also battling a brutal jihadist insurgency that has claimed thousands of lives, driven more than two million from their homes and prompted military takeovers of the elected government.
Both nations have ordered the departure of French forces instrumental in the fight against jihadists linked to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group.
The junta in Burkina is under pressure to follow Mali in weaving close ties with Moscow and bringing in mercenaries from the Wagner group.
Kyelem de Tambela hailed the “genuine revolution” he said had taken place in Mali since Colonel Assimi Goita seized power in 2020, and said it had “inspired” the new military rulers in Burkina.
Burkina and Mali have each witnessed two military coups since 2020 and are under pressure from the international community to return to democratic civilian rule.
Creating a new federation should be undertaken no before power is returned to civilians, “because when the politicians get back in, it’ll be tricky”, Kyelem de Tambela said.
