UN General Assembly Pt. I

Written By: Kasabez Maakmaah

In a dangerous world, where the social momentum seems to risk the very survival of humanity, many voices rise to contribute the genius of their people towards their vision of a collective solution. In this chorus of voices, one may say that African voices are curiously absent on the world stage. Unfortunately, even worse, when solutions to the problems of the world are being discussed, few stop to consider what African leaders would have to say.

For too long, African leaders have not even been seen as voices for their own people and cultures, but rather as voices for whichever colonial power continues to manipulate their affairs. Meanwhile, these leaders and the populations of their countries are presented to the world almost like wayward children, in need of the guidance of "developed" countries to help them find their way.

Recently, USAID, which funded and supported American foreign aid programs in Africa and across the world, has been shut down. The new US administration and many others have accused these programs of promoting political and ideological agendas under the guise of aid, instead, sowing political instability and social unrest. Worse yet, these kinds of programs have added to the narrative that African countries and peoples are helpless and totally dependent on foreign intervention for their survival. 

If this is the case, one may ask, what value is there in seeking the input of African leaders and intellectuals for solutions to the world's problems?

If this is your view, consciously or unconsciously, let's take a step further and ask ourselves when we have ever heard African leaders speak on the world stage, and we will quickly understand that mainstream media has never even given us a chance to hear input from the leadership of African governments. 

It is in the context that the Rising Firefly is proudly shining the spotlight on some leaders of some West African Countries who you likely have never heard of, but who are paving a new path for their people, one that depends on the wisdom of Black culture, values and principles to guide their way forward. 

The following speeches are from the 78th General Assembly of the United Nations in September 2023. They reflect the indignation of a continent that has been looted and pillaged and now seeks to break free of the looters who have been shamelessly presenting themselves as saviors, even as they continue their program of exploitation and neo-imperialism.

Since the independence era, the so-called "former colonial masters", in particular, France and the UK, have carefully installed puppet governments in African countries to ensure their interests are fulfilled. Failing this, they incite, support, and fund civil unrest, rebellions, separatist movements, and outright terrorism to destabilize populations, rendering them helpless against the extraction of resources at their expense.

The new leadership of some West African countries has stood up to put a stop to this, fully disengaging from their former colonizers and claiming their own self-determination. 

At the same time, their governments are denigrated as juntas and dictatorships by these same former colonizers who lecture them about democratic values. 

All this backstory is to set the table for what you are about to read, which requires no further explanation. One can only wish the reader the open-mindedness to consider a different perspective.

78th Session of the General Assembly, United Nations

Bassolma Bazié, Burkina Faso - Minister of State

Burkina Faso is a landlocked country in the Sahel Region of West Africa, situated between the Sahara Desert to the north and the tropical coastal countries to the south. Over the past decade, it has been beset by jihadist terrorism, which its military and the French military combined were not able to contain. Many people throughout the rural parts of the country have been displaced from their land as a result. Meanwhile, foreign mining companies had been increasing their investments and activities.

In 2022, Burkina Faso underwent 2 military coup d'etats with Captain Ibrahim Traore ultimately taking over the government. As the "President of the Transition," Traore is tasked with guiding the country towards stability before the electoral process resumes. At the UN and other forums, Burkina Faso has been interrogated as to when it will resume elections; however, Traore continues to enjoy enormous popularity in Burkina Faso and across the continent of Africa.

Under the leadership of Traoré, Burkina Faso expelled the French army and has been rebuilding its military, with Russia becoming an important ally. The country has also taken many steps toward self-sufficiency in the fields of agriculture, food processing and mineral refining. 

In 2023, Burkina Faso joined forces with Mali and Niger, which both underwent similar changes in power and are currently under military rule. The 3 countries left the regional bloc ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States) and formed the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) after Niger was threatened with military intervention by ECOWAS to restore power to the deposed president.

Bassolma Bazié, who was Minister of State at the time of this speech, has recently been promoted to the position of President of the National Commission of the AES, which, by the time of this writing, has become the Confederation of Sahel States. We congratulate the Honorable Mr. Bazié on his new appointment and wish him courage, strength and longevity to uphold the integrity of his position. We wish for you, the reader, to be inspired and enlightened by his words.

Excellency, Mr. President of the 78th Session of the General Assembly of the United Nations;

Excellency, Mr. Secretary-General of the United Nations;

Distinguished personalities;

On behalf of His Excellency, Captain Ibrahim TRAORÉ, President of the Transition, Head of State, please accept the brotherly greetings of the People and Government of Burkina Faso.

On behalf of the Burkinabe People, I respectfully bow to the memory of the great leaders in the world who have made us dream and hope for a just and equitable human society through their commitment, determination and spirit of sacrifice. Notably:

– Fidel Castro of Cuba;

– Patrice Emery Lumumba of Congo;

– Kwamé Nkrumah of Ghana;

– Modibo Keita of Mali;

– Ruben Um Nyobé and Félix Moumié of Cameroon;

– Sylvanius Olympia of Togo

– Che Guevara of Argentina;

– Martin Luther King and Malcolm X of the United States of America;

– Nelson Mandela of South Africa;

– Jomo Kenyatta of Kenya;

– Amilcar Cabral of Guinea-Bissau and the Cape Verde Islands;

– Marien Ngouabi of Congo-Brazzaville;

– Captain Noël Isidore Thomas Sankara of Burkina Faso;

– Etc.

These leaders, for the most part, were executed violently, and others were assassinated through the fire of prisons and poisonings. Their only crime was their being the incarnation of the dreams, ambitions, hope of the peoples who were bruised, raped, assaulted and plundered!

Mr. President; 

My presence at this Honorable tribune of the United Nations, on behalf of Burkina Faso, Country of Upright Men, is not to erect walls of lamentation. Nor am I here to deliver a polite speech. I have rather been ordered to sacrifice myself to tell you that government lies, diplomatic hypocrisy, the gluttony of powers, the unbridled search for profits and the demonic spirit of domination and exploitation of man by man are the real gangrenous wounds that are eating away at our social cohesion and causing the whole human society to rush towards its own ruin, including our organization, the UN.

First, His Excellency, Mr. Antonio Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations (UN);

Second, His Excellency, Mr. Joe Biden, President of the United States;

Third, His Excellency, Mr. Dennis Francis, Permanent Representative of Trinidad and Tobago to the United Nations, elected President of the 78th Session of the General Assembly.

Fourth, His Excellency, Mr. Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, President of the Federative Republic of Brazil;

Allow me to quote here parts of your respective speeches delivered at this same podium at the opening of this 78th session:

First: "We are in a world turned upside down! Corpses litter the beaches where billionaires are lounging.";

Second: "We are at a crossroads. We have one common cause, namely, to bequeath to our children a world with a good social climate.";

Third: "Despite the difficulties, we can get through this; it is not the capacities that are lacking but the political will. If not, we can bring progress and peace for all.";

Fourth: "There is dissonance between words and deeds. The UN Security Council is paralyzed. The UN must assume its functions of a united and equitable world in accordance with the principles set out in the Charter. This is presuming we have the courage to fight against inequalities."

 The quintessence of the expressions of these four high personalities clearly means that inequalities in the world are intentional, if not, with a minimum of courage and political will, we can, failing to eradicate them, at least reduce them to an acceptable level!

Indeed, every year speeches rain down, as do promises and commitments. The evidence of the dissonance between words and deeds with respect to these questions of principles contained in the UN Charter, of justice, equality, dignity, integrity, the right to self-determination, state sovereignty, the inviolability of territory and respect for international law, is evident in Libya, in the Sahel (particularly in Niger) and in the crisis between Russia and Ukraine.

First, in Libya, following the catastrophic flooding, thousands of lives were cut short. To wipe our consciences crystal clear, each Nation rushed to present its compassion, its solidarity. It is certainly to give the impression that we are civilized and that we defend values. Intellectual honesty compels us and in reflecting on the history we are aware of, we must present our sincere apologies to the Libyan people for having been, collectively and individually, through condemnable passivity or through active and unacceptable complicity, alongside the executioners who first brought about the man-made catastrophe in Libya. It is this catastrophe that brought Libya to its knees by ransacking it and killing its guide, before the waters of the flood came to grieve him further. And unfortunately, at the head of this man-made catastrophe were the UN under resolution 19-70 and the guilty silence or even complicity of ECOWAS and the African Union. This murderous intervention, with Nicolas SARKOZY's France at the head, disposed of the Libyan guide, Colonel Muammar Gaddafi, on October 20, 2011. If the condolences to the Libyan people had a minimum of common sense, without hypocrisy, this murderous diplomacy would never have taken place. Now to the case of Niger, which is the next Libya in the making.

Next, to prove that international relations are tainted by a high level of diplomatic hypocrisy, stripped of any conscience, morality, dignity, justice and therefore, of peace, they are again making the same indications of the deadly and scandalous intentions of wild beasts surrounding their wounded prey before devouring it.

Today, we have made the unfortunate observation that, contrary to the speeches professing good faith proclaimed at this high tribunal of the UN regarding the respect for the UN charter and international law, the leaders representing our brothers and sisters in Niger have effectively been deprived of access to their seat at the United Nations. 

Burkina Faso firmly condemns this sordid maneuver which resembles medieval practices. Something like this can only be done by minds that have lost the essential values for all harmonious life in society. Having said this, we will go further to say that the UN must not in any case be an instrument in the hands of any particular country.

The pan-africanist leaders who have fought for African unity, our grandparents who have fallen with dignity under fire from colonial assassins, the dignified sons of Africa who have sacrificed themselves honorably on the continent and who have fought ferociously against slavery and neocolonialism have had their warriors' sleep disturbed upon hearing of a handful of lost African children are offering up Niger like a ball of cotton for the invader to set ablaze. Yes, dear Africa, a handful of your children have decided to humiliate and vilify you by means of this blatant, state-sanctioned lie, beginning with Niger. I therefore make this urgent and solemn call to the Senegalese, Beninese, Nigerian, Ghanaian, Chadian, Ivorian, Comorian, Guinea-Bissauian, and all the people of Africa to mobilize themselves further in brotherhood and African solidarity to prevent the imperialists from setting Niger ablaze as they did in the case of Libya.

Mr. President of the 78th Session of the General Assembly;

Mr. Secretary-General of the United Nations;

Distinguished personalities in your respective levels, titles and ranks;

I insist to this assembly of the UN and before the entire world that ECOWAS, the African Union and the UN must absolutely evolve into genuine organizations of the people instead of tools in the hands of a few Heads of State. They must not be used and instrumentalized to destabilize brother countries by assassinating their leaders. Nothing but this commitment will allow the UN Charter and international law to have meaning!

Finally, speaking of the UN Charter and international law, a conflict between Russia and Ukraine is maintained and desired by certain other powers.

Thus, several Western countries, notably the United States and the European Union, have poured all sorts of support into it, especially military support. The Ukrainian civilian populations who have volunteered, some of whom even drive tanks, are congratulated and treated as patriots.

Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso are facing a war that was imposed on them by imperialists, covertly disguised as terrorist organizations of all kinds (AQMI, DAESH, JNIM, etc.) that sow terror and desolation. Despite the existence of this same United Nations Charter with its principles of equality and justice on the one hand and the same international law invoked at this UN assembly on the other hand, there is clearly an abysmal gap in the treatment of the issues. Indeed:

Taking the case of Burkina Faso, civilian populations, in the face of barbaric and deadly incursions of terrorists, have decided to fight alongside the Defense and Security Forces (FDS). These populations thus engaged, trained and supervised by the FDS are called Volunteers for the Defense of the Homeland (VDP). Thus, in Burkina Faso, we have 58,000 VDP, including 42,000 Communal VDPs and 16,000 National VDPs, who fight on all fronts alongside the FDS, trained, supervised and directed by them. These volunteers only act under the instructions and supervision of the FDS and in accordance with regulatory texts in order to protect their lives and property. These are Patriots who some heads of state of ECOWAS and the African Union, being employed by capitalist, imperialist powers, are trying to convince the international community are militias. This is a blatantly false accusation on our country!

Mr. President;

If the international community were honest and sincere in its commitment to fight terrorism, it would not continue in such a way that civilian populations would have to engage and train to ensure their own defenses. Speaking of a lack of transparency in this international community, here are some examples:

First, when Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger and other countries organized themselves on their common borders by pooling their forces to confront terrorism, France came out of nowhere to impose its instrument, the G5 Sahel.

Today, ECOWAS, which suddenly has an intervention force to restore democracies, has announced a contribution of 2 billion US dollars. But from the conception of this G5 Sahel until its dissolution, ECOWAS was only able to contribute 25 million US dollars. Where is the seriousness in the defense of human lives advocated by the Universal Declaration of Human and Peoples' Rights?

Secondly, Burkina Faso is subject to inhumane sanctions following the coup d'état of September 30, 2022. This nebulous so-called International Community, under the leadership of France, which went through its local valets in Africa, first tried to have a Prime Minister appointed in Burkina Faso in vain, then they moved on to imposing ministers in strategic positions within the Burkinabe Government in vain and finally they negotiated the maintenance of relations so that Captain Ibrahim TRAORE would implement whatever they decide, a non-negotiable condition if he wished to stay in power. Having also refused this in the name of the higher interest of his People, an avalanche of repressive measures, threats, attempted coups d'état and other immoral maneuvers are being concocted in their criminal laboratories. And unfortunately, all these macabre maneuvers and missions are piloted by remote controlled puppets in African presidential hallways.

This is how even this famous initiative of Accra without Mali did not last long.

Thirdly, in addition to the cutting of aid and the cancellation of training agreements for our Defense and Security Forces (FDS), we are witnessing the blockage of our military equipment ordered with the sweat of our compatriots, always under the direction of France.

For example, for the aerial capabilities needed for the control and defense of the territory, we had a contract with Brazil whose Weapon License was to come from Belgium, and the navigation and shooting system as well as cameras from the United States of America, with an engine from Canada. These means are today fallaciously and shamelessly blocked. You speak of the Defense of Human Rights at this UN tribune, I therefore invite you to immediately deliver our Weapons to us for the defense and protection of our wounded populations. Whatever happens, you are solemnly informed and if nothing is done, history will hold you responsible for failure to assist people in danger!

Mr. President of the General Assembly;

Mr. Secretary General of the UN;

Dear personalities still blessed with a minimum of common sense;

Does this unflattering picture of the international community characterized by refusal to assist to a state in the grips of terrorism, international hypocrisy, the supremacy of a few powers within the UN, complicity in the plundering of Africa, etc. not require the international community to be brought before the ICC (International Criminal Court)?

In a word, our security will be ensured and prioritized by us, ourselves and not by anyone else.

On the question of WAGNER's presence in Burkina Faso sung by a certain press controlled by the Elysée (Presidential Palace of France), I will answer this:

Yes, Mr. President, it's us who are the WAGNERs of Burkina Faso! Yes, these brave FDS and VDP are the WAGNERs of Burkina Faso!!

Therefore, from the height of this UN Tribunal which magnifies the sacrifice of every patriot in the name of the national interest, I warmly salute the memory of all those who fell with weapons in hand and I magnify the courage and integrity of those who are still alive and rush inexorably and sacrificially towards the victory of our people and the safeguarding of our Homeland.

Instead of helping us stop this human bloodletting, those are fallacious accusations, shameless state-sponsored lies wrapped up in a diplomacy of hypocrisy and veiled threats to suggest to us which partners we are allowed to have and which paths to take! We say no!

In the name of this same UN Charter and International Law that you all invoke here at this assembly, the African peoples in general and the Sahelians in particular are resolutely committed to absolutely and fully assuming their total emancipation for true social progress. Thus, Burkina Faso will sovereignly link its partnerships with whomever it wants and will buy its means of defense with whomever it wants! Whether a country is called Russia, Iran, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Cuba, Nicaragua or North Korea, Burkina Faso will freely buy and sell its products there without an intermediary, much less an authorization from anyone; and for this, come what may!

Mr. President of the General Assembly;

Mr. Secretary General of the UN;

Dear personalities still endowed with a minimum of common sense;

Speaking still of hypocrisy and state-sponsored lies, in this question of the fight against terrorism in general and in the Sahel in particular, here are other facts that you are certainly not unaware of and I am certain of it:

First of all, in the Sahel, we have nearly ten thousand soldiers from foreign armies, composed mainly of French soldiers but also American, German, Italian soldiers, etc. with the most sophisticated weapons, aerial and surveillance equipment in the world and despite everything, no one sees columns of hundreds of terrorists moving to serve desolation and death, often with unimaginable weapons.

In Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso, there is no arms or ammunition factory. So who is recruiting these terrorists? Who trains them? Who provides them with permanent equipment? Who feeds them and with what means? Do you believe in this philanthropy, the kind where Westerners will send their soldiers to the Sahel to die for the beautiful eyes of the Sahelians? If so, what justifies the frustration and diplomatic signalling as soon as France is told to remove its military?

The real reason is the resources underground in the Sahel! Indeed, the French National Assembly voted law n°057-7-27 of January 10, 1957, published in the official journal of the French Republic of January 12, 1957, creating the Common Organization of Saharan Regions (OCRS) which brings together parts of Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Mauritania, Algeria, etc. This area has until now had no equal in the world in terms of subsoil wealth. For example, the largest water table goes from Mauritania to Somalia via Mali, Algeria, Libya, Niger, etc. The newspaper Le Monde of July 23, 1957 put forward the figure of 6 to 7 million tons of oil as the potential annual production of the Sahara. In addition to these natural resources, we have uranium, gold, cobalt, zinc, diamonds, lithium, copper, etc.

If you Westerners love the Sahelians so much that you bring your soldiers there to die in the name of democracy, freedom, human rights and peace, why does the entire African continent, which has 1.3 billion inhabitants, therefore the second most populated continent, 30,415,873 km2, and 54 states, have no permanent seat on the Security Council with a right of veto? Is this not, beyond being a state-sanctioned crime, a UN-sanctioned crime?

So stop the crude diplomatic lie claiming that these imperialist powers are coming to the Sahel to defend Democracy and Human Rights.

Speaking of Human Rights, I remind you that the first Charter in the World on this question of Human Rights is that of KURUKAN FUGA of 1236 in Mandé, present-day Mali.

Therefore, the expansionist moralists should save their rhetoric of respect for human rights in their two-tiered development plan for the terrorists they supervise.

Secondly, Africa does not like to compare the dead! It is a lack of education to do so! Consequently, I respectfully bow to the memory of all nationalities who have lost their lives in Africa in general and in the Sahel in particular. Thus, on the hazardous, condescending and unfortunate statements of the President of the French Republic Emmanuel Macron which often border on the ridiculous while boasting of a hypothetical condescension on the African peoples, I impose on myself the duty to give him a little lesson on his own history. This is why classrooms are made for children to learn lessons and grow up well, rather than devote themselves to something else at the risk of losing themselves forever. But to begin with, I specify that no African people have opposed the French people: there is therefore no anti-French sentiment in Africa and there never will be because of our legendary hospitality and love of neighbors. It's that the African peoples refuse condescension, arrogance, insolence, smugness, paternalism, the plundering of their resources and organized crime.

Indeed, for your recollection, Mr. Emmanuel Macron:

First, I recall the appeal made over the BBC in England on June 14, 1940, by your own grandfather, General de Gaulle, for Africa to come and save France from the clutches of the Nazis. As a reminder, we have:

✓ “17,000 Malians died during the two world wars. A blood debt that France seems to have obscured”, according to the book by Bakari KAMIAN, Associate Professor at the Sorbonne University: “From the Verdum trenches to the Saint-Bernard church: 80,000 Malian fighters to the rescue of France (1914-1918) and 1939-1945”. (Editions KARTHALA./ 2001. Extracts: 343- 345)

✓ "…Those who died for France" (Page 343) Table 20: Veterans in French West Africa, 1952 and 1959;

✓ Page 344, Table 21: Sudanese veterans of the two wars:

- Total casualties from Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger: 82,208 fallen combatants;

- Total French West Africa: 154,519 combatants. See Source: Henri LIGER, End of Mission Report in French West Africa, Dakar, July 13, 1950, Senegal Archives, file number 4 D 68 (89) – see Appendix V.

Then, on November 17, 1986, François Mitterrand, then French President, in response to Captain Thomas Sankara, said, "Africa has been plundered. I spoke of raw materials. I should have spoken of people! For centuries, your people have been exploited: your men, your women, your children have been stolen. You have been used. I understand your refusal, your revolt, and I approve of your fight. You are right to refuse to be a sacrificed continent. The time has come when you yourselves must develop your economies from (Africa's) goods and its people. And the duty of these countries that have profited abusively from African labor is to return to Africa a part of what has been taken over the last centuries." Indeed, Africa has always been plundered but it remains rich in people, in values and in mineral wealth. As proof:

Speaking of these mineral resources, Africa accounts for:

– 30% of the world's mineral reserves;

– 40% of gold reserves;

– 33% of diamond reserves;

– 80% of coltan reserves (for telephones);

– 60% of cobalt reserves (for batteries);

– 55% of uranium reserves, etc.

It is for the firm defense of this Africa that African youth are standing up more than ever.

Mr. Macron, do you still need a little history to remind you?

Finally, well before this regrettable and unfortunate statement by French President Emmanuel Macron, he, like so many of his fellow politicians, had attacked African motherhood, and here too, I would like to remind him that:

– Germany has approximately 83 million inhabitants over an area of ​​347,000 square km, compared to Congo, which has 95 million inhabitants over an area of ​​2,345,000 square km;

– Belgium has 11 million inhabitants over an area of ​​30,000 km2, compared to Gabon, which has 2.5 million inhabitants over an area of ​​267,000 km2;

– France has approximately 68 million inhabitants over an area of ​​672,329 km2, compared to Namibia, which has 2.5 million inhabitants over an area of ​​825,000 km2.

It was with all of the above solidly in mind that Aimé Césaire (peace be upon him) said: "Africa is the only continent in the world where people sing, dance, and applaud for those who impoverish, starve, and torture them. Africa's misfortune is that it encountered France!"

While the West has certainly violated, raped, and robbed Africa, what is our share of responsibility as African leaders?

Isn't it we, African leaders, who are laying the grounds upon which we are being trampled? Indeed, we have abandoned our identity to become nothing. Our names have disappeared to make way for other imported names that don't fit with our realities. We must reclaim our culture. We have parroted the West by copying monogamy, and now today they want us to believe that anti-values ​​and unnatural ideologies are part of freedom! Homosexuality will not be up for discussion here!

Mr. President,

What has just been described is the profoundly unfortunate window dressing of a UN that is today reduced to irrelevancy considering:

– 1.2 billion people are plunged into poverty;

– 2 trillion US dollars in armaments;

– 20 times the UN budget in nuclear weapons;

– on the question of development, Africa receives $34 billion from the IMF (International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, compared to $160 billion to the West;

– the paralysis of the UN Security Council;

– the paralysis of the World Trade Organization;

– rising tensions following geostrategic repositioning;

– the World Trade Organization (WTO) is blocked;

– The International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank (WB), which operate like veritable loan sharks;

– the World Health Organization (WHO), which is increasingly dominated by profit-seeking pharmaceutical companies, thus giving commercial rather than social priority to vaccines such as the COVID-19 vaccine;

– the UN, is increasingly becoming a shadow of its former self due to attempts to hold it hostage by a conglomerate of international powers, thus blurring the clarity and seriousness of its decision-making;

– etc.

Consequently, the African peoples in general and the Sahelian peoples in particular will fight vigorously to ensure that ECOWAS, the African Union and even the UN are institutions truly serving the peoples of the world for their profound emancipation and true social progress. Because it is the failings of these organizations, their lack of sincerity, their policies of special interests and double standards, the cover-up of constitutional tinkering with the accompanying criminal activities, the promotion of bad governance, plundering, social disorganization and corruption that inevitably lead to coups d'état which are therefore only consequences. Let us therefore treat the causes and the consequences will disappear by themselves. But if we continue playing like ostriches with the diplomacy of hypocrisy, the shameless state-sponsored lies, the organized crime, the constitutional tinkering and the manufacturing of lackeys at the head of our African States, even the UN may not escape a coup d'état! A word to the wise!

In this regard, and in order to take their destiny into their own hands, Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso signed the Alliance of Sahel States, abbreviated as AES.

The AES is a framework for securing our countries, based on the revised treaty of the Integrated Development Authority of the Liptako-Gourma Region. Taking into account the security situation and, above all, the lack of transparency in other partnerships, this is about counting on our own resources, seeking to combine our means, and working to eliminate inconsistencies in areas of operational maneuvers.

Mr. President,

I hereby inform you forcefully and firmly, in a loud and clear voice, that:

First, we, the African peoples, are fundamentally democratic. As proof, our commitment to human dignity transcends democracy! What we reject then, is less democracy, than "the trap of democracy" that is set for us. Thus, electoral democracy has proven to be a means of controlling our states through the game of musical chairs of leaders who are very often impostors, corrupt, thieves, and violators of the constitution because they are just strangers to the valid interests of our African states.

Second, we Africans, are we today recognized in our HUMAN DIGNITY, in the sense that "One Man is equal to another Man"? The answer, certainly, is NO, beyond the circumstantial decorum to lull us to sleep and better enslave us! Sad for the black continent, scientifically recognized as the cradle of humanity but in reality humiliated, placed under domination!

From sham independence to fratricidal wars, from electoral democracy to biased aid, from wars of plunder to maliciously produced terrorism, maintained and injected into our African countries, particularly in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, there is only one constant: to dominate us, to keep the "foot on our neck", as was the case for our unfortunate brother George Floyd in the United States, the same is the case right here! Is this democracy?

And there are supporters of this narrow conception of freedom who intellectually justify the enslavement and barbarism against our peoples fighting for their dignity and sovereignty in the name of a paradoxical principle of freedom which ultimately murders freedom. Oh Liberty, what crimes have not been committed in your name!?

This is why we now decide to say NO! NO to all these "friends who wish us well" to the point of threatening us with war to impose their friendship! We tailor this "democracy" so brandished and sung by wolves in sheep's clothing, in order to exude, on our own, adequate political leadership for our peoples for their HAPPINESS. Yes, total emancipation and true social progress for our peoples constitute the purpose of all action, whether political, economic, socio-cultural and/or security-related.

Third, African peoples in general, and those of the Sahel in particular, have discovered chains of economic, security, and socio-cultural alienation embodied in secret agreements with France, and are committed to breaking them for their true emancipation. These include:

– the colonial debt; we will not turn a blind eye and pay it while allowing our populations to die of hunger, thirst, and disease;

– the question of currency, therefore the CFA Franc (Franc of the French Colonies of Africa) is not an African property. From a legal point of view, “property” is “the right to enjoy and dispose of things in the most absolute manner” (Article 544 of the French Civil Code). A patent is therefore held by France on the CFA Franc; it is consequently the owner of the CFA Franc and it rents it to the French-speaking African States. What is also funny is that the banknotes produced by France for West Africa differ from those of Central Africa in monetary value under the same name of CFA Franc. The only document recognizing the CFA Franc is decree n°45-0136 of December 26, 1945, whose signatories were: Charles De Gaulle, President of the Provisional Government; Réné PLEVEN Minister of Finance and Jacques SOUSTELLE, Minister of Colonies;

– priority for French interests and companies in public procurement and public tenders;

– the exclusive right to supply military equipment and train military officers in the colonies;

– etc.

Fourth, no one applauds a coup d'état, but if we ignore the fact that these coups are often the result of poor governance and constitutional tinkering to circumvent term limits, they will always occur. So let us have the clarity to combat the real causes by remaining demanding in terms of respect for democratic rules and virtuous governance.

Fifth, the African people are not opposed to the French people. Rather, it is the French policy, full of condescension, that is being rejected. Indeed, by refusing to repatriate its expelled ambassador to Niger, France is in violation of international law, particularly Article 9, paragraphs 1 and 2, of the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.

The decision to ban artists from Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger from France shows a serious misunderstanding of cultural significance as a driving force for family, community, and even cultural exchange between nations. The artist is a doctor of the psyche.

By declaring that they don't want the unemployed, migrants, thieves, etc., in France, we in Africa in general and the Sahel in particular are the ones who supply the unemployed and thieves due to the brazen plundering of our resources that we don't want.

My sincere gratitude to the peoples of the world, and to all the personalities at all levels in the world who understand and accompany Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger in this certainly difficult but sanctified climb on the path to full emancipation, the expression of dignity, honor, freedom, equality, prosperity, justice and therefore peace!

In the face of the current situation in Burkina Faso, the Burkinabe government has implemented vigorous action through the adoption of a new development plan, the Action Plan for Stabilization and Development (PA-SD 2023-2025), with its four priority areas:

– The fight against terrorism and the restoration of territorial integrity;

– The response to the humanitarian crisis;

– The rebuilding of the government and the improvement of governance;

– National reconciliation and social cohesion.

These efforts aim to provide the Burkinabe population with better living conditions. While welcoming all partners around the world who support us, we strongly encourage those who are still in doubt or paralyzed by false reports that they are welcome in Burkina Faso, provided that the partnership is consistent with the vision of the transition, summarized in those four areas.

Long live the UN!

Long live the 78th Session of the General Assembly!

Long live the peoples in struggle!

Long live solidarity among peoples!

Long live a free Africa!

Long live the Alliance of Sahel States!

Long live Burkina Faso, Land of Upright Men!

HASTA LA VICTORIA, SIEMPRE!

Motherland or Death, We Shall Win!

Series continued next month…