Burkina Faso to open talks with militants, alternativeafrica.com

Burkina Faso government said it is open to talks with militants to try to end a growing insurgency, echoing a position taken by authorities in neighbouring Mali.

“If we want to end the security crisis, we will need to find paths and ways to talk with those responsible for terrorist attacks so that we are in peace,” Prime Minister Christophe Dabire said in response to a question in parliament.

Attacks in Burkina Faso by fighters linked to al Qaeda and Islamic State have surged in Burkina Faso since 2018, contributing to a humanitarian crisis that has forced more than one million people to flee their homes.

Mali’s former president Ibrahim Boubacar Keita said a year ago that his government was prepared to negotiate with the local al Qaeda affiliate, and the current government has reaffirmed that position. […]

Former colonial power France, which has over 5 000 troops in the Sahel to fight the militants, has said it opposes talks with them. Läs artikel

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