In
Burkina
Faso, IMF
Tells ICP
Mission Off
Until
Recognized
Govt
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
November 13,
updated with transcript
-- When the
International
Monetary Fund
held its
biweekly
embargoed
media briefing
on November
13, Inner City
Press asked
about Burkina
Faso: "does
the IMF have
any comment or
response to
the change of
government,
any impacts on
IMF programs
or forecasts
for the
country or its
neighbors?"
IMF deputy
spokesperson
William Murray
replied that
"in terms of
Burkina Faso
there were
some issues
with a mission
recently but
now the
situation is
evolving. As
soon as an
internationally
recognized
transitional
government is
in place, we
look forward
to resuming
discussions
with the
authorities."
Citing
"signals for
donor
engagement,"
Murray said
the IMF
"anticipates
the
transitional
government
is likely to
want to
continue a
program
engagement of
some sort.
Depending on
the
authorities'
wishes and the
commitments
they are
willing to
undertake,
options might
be a one year
program under
the Rapid
Credit
Facility or
continuation
of the current
ECF supported
program."
And there you
have it.
From
the IMF's
subsequently
released
transcript:
IMF's
William
Murray: I have
a question,
again from
Matthew Lee,
on Burkina
Faso. On
Burkina Faso,
does the IMF
have any
comment or
response to
the change of
government and
any impacts on
IMF programs
or forecasts
for the
country or its
neighbors. Let
me -- I'm
going to have
to dive into
my brief here,
Matthew. In
terms of
Burkina Faso,
you know there
are some
issues there
with the
mission
recently, but
now the
situation is
evolving and
we are
following
developments
in Burkina
Faso closely.
As soon as
internationally
recognized
transitional
government is
in place, we
look forward
to resuming
our
discussions
with the
authorities.
Burkina Faso
has a long
track record
of strong
performance
with programs
supported by
the IMF. Since
the current
program
provides a
signal for
broader donor
engagement, we
anticipate
that the
transition
government is
likely to want
to continue a
program
engagement of
some sort.
Depending upon
the
authorities'
wishes, and
the
commitments
that they are
willing to
undertake,
options might
be a one year
program
supported by
the rapid
credit
facility or
possibly
continuation
of the current
ECF supported
program.
Program
implementation
capacity will
also be an
important
consideration.
That's our
latest update
on Burkina.
All
right, I think
we can wrap
this up. Is
there any
other
questions we
can? Okay,
great
At
the UN on
November 4,
with the
military
claiming
control of
Burkina Faso,
after days of
silence from
the UN
Security
Council, the
Security
Council got a
briefing on
the topic from
UN Political
Affairs chief
Jeff Feltman.
Afterward
Inner City
Press asked
Quinlan if
there had been
any discussion
of the spread
of what some
call the
African
Spring, noting
for example
that a statute
of Joseph
Kabila was
toppled in
Beni in
Eastern Congo,
even as Kabila
asks UN
Peacekeeping
for military
support.
Quinlan
said there has
been some
discussion of
the regional
aspect, but
not in detail.
Inner City
Press asked if
France had
acknowledged
in the
Council's
consultations
having helped
Burkina Faso's
27 year ruler
-- who came to
power on the
back, so to
speak, of
Thomas Sankara
-- escape the
country.
Quinlan
said he hadn't
heard of the
allegation
that France
help Compaore
get away.
Well, here it
is: president
Francois
Hollande told
reporters in
Quebec City
that "we did
it... to avoid
drama and
other
convulsions."
Twenty four
hours later on
November 5,
the Security
Council issued
a Press
Statement:
The
Security
Council heard
a briefing on
4 November
2014 by the
Under-Secretary-General
for Political
Affairs, Mr.
Jeffrey
Feltman, on
the political
crisis in
Burkina Faso.
The
members of the
Security
Council
expressed
their deep
concern over
the political
and security
crisis in
Burkina Faso
and over
reports of the
loss of life
resulting from
recent events
surrounding
the
resignation of
Mr. Blaise
Compaoré from
his post of
President of
Burkina Faso.
They called
for calm and
urged all
parties to
refrain from
violence. They
called on the
Burkina Faso
authorities to
respect the
right of
peaceful
assembly and
right to life
and to protect
citizen’s
safety and
property.
The
members of the
Security
Council called
on all actors
involved in
Burkina Faso
to respect the
Economic
Community of
West African
States
(ECOWAS)
protocol on
democracy and
good
governance and
the African
Charter on
Democracy,
Elections and
Governance,
notably the
rejection of
unconstitutional
changes of
Government.
The
members of the
Security
Council
acknowledged
the democratic
aspiration of
the people of
Burkina Faso.
They urged the
security
forces of
Burkina Faso
to hand over
power to a
civilian-led
transition and
to take
immediate
steps to
restore
constitutional
order without
delay.
The
members of the
Security
Council called
on all
stakeholders
in Burkina
Faso to
collaborate
together to
launch a
peaceful,
civilian-led
and democratic
transition
process
leading to the
holding of
free, fair,
inclusive and
credible
elections as
soon as
possible,
consistent
with the
Constitution
of Burkina
Faso.
The
members of the
Security
Council took
note of the
Declaration of
the Chairman
of (ECOWAS) of
2 November
2014 and of
the African
Union (AU)
Peace and
Security
Council
communiqué of
4 November
2014 on
Burkina Faso.
The
members of the
Security
Council
expressed
their full
support to the
Special
Representative
for West
Africa,
Mohamed Ibn
Chambas, and
for the
mission
conducted
jointly with
the African
Union and
ECOWAS, and
called on all
parties in
Burkina Faso
to extend full
cooperation to
the joint
mission. They
commended the
efforts of
regional and
international
actors, in
particular
ECOWAS and the
African Union,
towards the
restoration of
constitutional
order in
Burkina Faso.
The UN never
criticized Blaise
Compaore's
27 year rule
or his bid to
extend it; in
the DR Congo,
UN
Peacekeeping
unself-consciously
offers
military
support to
Joseph
Kabila.
But how will
the UN
Security
Council react,
if at all, to
military rule
in Burkina
Faso?
The US State
Department
Spokesperson
on the evening
of October 31,
Halloween,
said:
"The
United States
is concerned
about the
unfolding
events in
Burkina
Faso. We
regret the
violence and
the loss of
life in
Burkina Faso
and call on
all parties to
avoid further
violence.
We reiterate
our call for
all parties to
follow the
constitutionally
mandated
process for
the transfer
of power and
holding of
democratic
elections
following the
resignation of
former
President
Blaise
Compaore.
We condemn any
attempts by
the military
or other
parties to
take advantage
of the
situation for
unconstitutional
gain and call
on all parties
to respect the
people’s
support for
the democratic
process."
Minutes
later the US
State
Department
issued a
travel alert
on "the risks
of travel to
or residing in
Burkina Faso
and recommends
U.S. citizens
defer all
non-essential
travel.
This Travel
Alert will
expire on
January 29,
2015. On
October 31,
Burkina Faso’s
President
Compaore
resigned.
The status of
a transitional
government
remains
unclear.
There are
incidents of
looting
throughout the
capital city
of
Ouagadougou,
Bobo-Dioulasso,
and other
parts of the
country."
For days the
UN's Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon has
been vaguely
calling for
calm. On
October 31 at
noon Inner
City Press
asked Ban's
spokesman
Stephane
Dujarric:
Inner
City Press:
the UN seems
to in peace
processes work
pretty closely
with Burkina
Faso. So
I wonder when,
if you can
maybe say,
when the
President
began to talk
about changing
term limits
and going
beyond his
current 27
years of rule,
did anyone in
the UN system
say, maybe
it's a bad
idea, maybe
it's time…
maybe your
Government is
too strong,
maybe it's
time for
somebody
else? Or
was it hands
off?
What was the
view of that?
Spokesman
Dujarric:
I think it's…
first of all,
I doubt that
there were any
consultations
by the
President and
the UN on what
his decisions
were, what the
parliament's
decision was
going to be,
you know, so I
think we're
trying to
imagine
conversations
that were not
had.
Inner
City Press:
What I'm
saying is, the
UN has
actively asked
the Burkina
authorities to
play a role in
a variety of
regional
conflicts; it
seems like
there are kind
of
discussions,
and also by
making that
request,
they're saying
that this
27-year person
is a…
Spokesman:
I think, you
know, Burkina
Faso has a
role to play
in the
regional… in
keeping
regional
peace. I
think every
country in any
region has
that role to
play.
Inner
City
Press:
What's Mr.
Chambas doing
there?
Spokesman:
He was sent by
the
Secretary-General.
He'll be
meeting with
key
stakeholders.
He arrived
this
morning.
Obviously, the
situation is
changing at a
very rapid
clip, and he
will be
talking with
key
stakeholders.
Ah, the UN.
Why
did the US -
and the UN
Secretariat --
support his 27
year rule,
while
criticizing
others?
Twenty
seven years
ago, Thomas
Sankara was
overthrown and
killed in a
coup led by
Blaise
Compaore.
It was
under Sankara
that the
country's name
change from
"Upper Volta"
to Burkina
Faso, land of
the upright.
History
records two
meetings of
Sankara and
France's
Francois
Mitterand. At
the Vittel
conference,
Mitterand
stared
stony-faced
ahead as
Sankara spoke
of seeking
foreign
relations with
countries
beyond France.
And
later, after
South African
apartheid
leader Pieter
Botha had
visited
France,
Sankara
criticized
Mitterand to
his face in
Ouagadougou,
after
Mitterand
drove through
the streets
waving at the
crowd. Soon
the Compaore
coup would
kill Sankara,
and France and
Boigny would
congratulate
Compaore. The
rest is
history.
And
new
colonies, too:
France has
laid claim to
the Democratic
Republic of
the Congo,
controlling
the Security
Council's pen
and most
recent trip
there, down
to which media
could go on the "UN" plane.
France
for over
sixteen years
has controlled
UN
Peacekeeping,
now through
Herve Ladsous,
twice spurned,
who refuses to
answer or even
take Press
questions.
What
would Thomas
Sankara say?
On this day,
and going
forward, we
must ask.
Watch this
site.
, 
