By Umamah Bakharia

African Union (AU) Suspends Burkina Faso as Envoy Heads For Talks 

Burkina Faso has been in turmoil since the coup last week.

The African Union said on Monday it had suspended Burkina Faso in response to the 24 January coup that overturned President Roch Kabore.

The bloc’s 15-member Peace and Security Council said on Twitter that it had decided “to suspend the participation of #BurkinaFaso in all AU activities until the effective restoration of constitutional order in the country”.

The army in Burkina Faso say that they are dissatisfied with the way the government has been handling the violence’s in the country.  Adding on the support the government has been getting from European countries.

“This is what led to the coup that started last week,” says Fakude.

ECOWAS Suffering From Credibility Crisis

ECOWAS is a 15 member bloc aimed at guiding stability in East Africa.

The 15-member Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has suspended Burkina Faso, days after the army overthrew President Roch Kabore.

Recent coups in Guinea and Mali have seen both nations sanctioned and suspended by the regional bloc.

ECOWAS is responsible for guiding the east African countries in terms of politics.

“It is being criticized because it has not being effective in terms of ensuring that there is stability in that part of the world which has led to an increase in coup’s in that [region in Africa],” says Fakude.

However, ECOWAS was not created to be a political compass but to guide the economics of the region.

Uganda Ends The Longest School Closure 

The longest school closure in Uganda has ended.

Even though the country closed school doors for 2 years, Uganda has been facing social challenges such as the high levels of pregnancies and the lack of internet connectivity in the region.

“Even though they had tried to address one particular issue, it has led to another,” says Fakude.

Mali Expelled French Envoy Over His ‘Hostile and Outrageous’ Remarks 

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian.

Mali gave the French ambassador 72 hours notice on Monday to leave the country after “hostile and outrageous” comments by former colonial power France about its transitional government.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian had said on Friday that Mali’s military government was “out of control” as tensions rise between the West African state and its European partners following two coups.

“To have an Afrixcan country expelling a European envoy is interesting,” says Fakude.