Youth Association Demonstrates Support for Burkina Faso’s ECOWAS Withdrawal

KOURITTENGA – In a significant show of support for Burkina Faso’s withdrawal from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the Association of Young Patriots for the Development of Burkina Faso (AJPD BF) organized a march in Pouytenga on February 10, 2024. The event featured enthusiastic displays, including trumpets, joyful chants, and symbolic imagery, to endorse the decision made by the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) to exit ECOWAS.

According to Burkina Information Agency, president of AJPD BF, the departure of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger from ECOWAS marks a historic decision aimed at asserting sovereignty and rejecting external influences deemed unfavorable by the countries involved. Wobgo emphasized the importance of backing the Burkinabe transition government’s actions, viewing them as critical steps away from foreign domination, particularly by France.

The march attracted support from youth associations across several cities, including Koupéla, Zorgho, and Ouagadougou, indicating widespread backing for the AES’s stance. Participants, including Mahamadi Kaboré and Ibrahim Singa, expressed their wholehearted endorsement of the move, even acknowledging the potential personal risks involved.

The event concluded with the AJPD BF presenting a letter of support to municipal authorities, further solidifying community backing for the transition. Guibrilla Bikienga, the first vice-president of the Pouytenga special delegation, praised the initiative, linking it to the legacy of Thomas Sankara and the ongoing efforts of President Ibrahim Traoré to complete the withdrawal from ECOWAS, seen as a step towards national pride and autonomy.