From Manchester to Riyadh and across East Africa, eight diaspora communities have heeded President Ibrahim Traoré’s call, exemplifying international solidarity for securing Burkina Faso’s national territory.
Eight communities within the Burkinabè diaspora have collectively contributed 31.3 million CFA francs to support the nation’s peace efforts. The official handover ceremony, held last Monday at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Ouagadougou, was presided over by Foreign Minister Karamoko Jean Marie Traoré.
The diaspora in Saudi Arabia stood out with a contribution exceeding 8.2 million CFA francs, supplemented by in-kind donations for internally displaced persons. Meanwhile, the Burkinabè community from Garango residing in Italy made a substantial contribution of 7 million CFA francs, and a collective of Burkinabes living in East Africa—including Burundi, Comoros, Kenya, Rwanda, and Tanzania—raised 7.7 million CFA francs.
Other contributors to this wave of solidarity include the diaspora in Libya (3 million CFA francs), Daloa in Côte d’Ivoire (2 million CFA francs), Qatar (1.28 million CFA francs), Manchester in England (1 million CFA francs), and the Faso Zekula Pangha association based in Italy (1 million CFA francs).
The foreign minister emphasised the strategic importance of the diaspora, noting that its mobilisation is “one of the key pillars” of President Ibrahim Traoré’s foreign policy. He also disclosed that joint efforts by defense and security forces have achieved a “territory reconquest rate” of 70.50%.
This mobilisation by the Burkinabè diaspora comes amidst a sensitive security situation, as authorities continue their efforts to restore the country’s territorial integrity. It highlights the government’s ability to leverage its diaspora’s resources in the fight against insecurity that has plagued Burkina Faso for years.
AC/lb/as/APA