OUAGADOUGOU — Burkinabè newspapers on Tuesday highlighted major regional and judicial developments, including the outcomes of the 65th ECOWAS summit in Abuja and the order by a military court for the release of lawyer Hervé Guy Kam.
According to Burkina Information Agency, the dean of private daily newspapers, the 65th ECOWAS summit, held on July 7, 2024, in Abuja, Nigeria, focused on the withdrawal of three countries from the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) and appointed the presidents of Togo and Senegal as mediators to facilitate ongoing dialogue with the leaders of these nations. This summit aimed to address potential crises in relations with AES countries through a ‘prospective emergency’ plan.
The state daily Sidwaya reported on the perspectives of Malians living in Burkina Faso regarding the formation of the AES confederation. The secretary general of the Malian community in Bobo Dioulasso, Lassina Togola, expressed hopes that the AES would avoid replicating ECOWAS’ errors.
In another significant development, Le Pays covered the release of Maître Guy Hervé Kam. The military court’s control chamber ruled that the lawyer’s detention was neither admissible nor well-founded, ordering his release under judicial supervision unless he is held for other charges. The Paalga Observer noted that this decision allows for potential conditions on his release to be defined by the investigating judge, while also mentioning that the prosecution may appeal this order to the Court of Cassation.