Burkina Faso: «Today, this sovereignty is more relevant than ever and faces complex challenges…», states H.E. Me Apollinaire Joachimson Kyélem de Tambèla

Prime Minister Me Apollinaire Joachimson Kyélem de Tambèla presided over the opening ceremony of an international symposium held at the Thomas Sankara University in Ouagadougou, on Thursday, June 1, 2023. The symposium revolved around the theme «The Sovereignty of the African State in the Face of Security, Political, Economic, Environmental, and Humanitarian Challenges». Given the current threats to the sovereignty of African states, the Prime Minister called for a repositioning of our states on the world stage.

The objective of the symposium, taking place on June 1 and 2, 2023, at the Thomas Sankara University, is to critically examine the nature and scope of the threats currently facing African states’ sovereignty and explore suitable ways and means to preserve and strengthen it.

The inaugural lecture of the symposium focused on «The Sovereignty of the African State Tested by the Challenges of the Contemporary World».

Several issues will be discussed in the form of panels, including «the Sovereignty of the African State in the Face of Security Challenges», «The Sovereignty of the African State in the Face of Political Challenges», «The Sovereignty of the African State in the Face of Economic Challenges», «The Sovereignty of the African State in the Face of Environmental Challenges», and «The Sovereignty of the African State in the Face of Humanitarian Challenges».

According to Prime Minister Me Apollinaire Joachimson Kyélem de Tambèla, the theme of the symposium is highly relevant and timely, especially at a moment when Burkina Faso and other countries in the sub-region are confronted with complex challenges, with security challenges being the most urgent and concerning.

He stated that this theme echoes President Thomas Sankara’s speech to the United Nations General Assembly on October 4, 1984, regarding sovereignty: « We must proclaim that there can be no salvation for our peoples unless we radically turn our backs on all the models that charlatans of the same ilk have tried to sell us for twenty years. There can be no salvation for us outside of this refusal. No development outside of this rupture».

The Prime Minister believes this theme aligns with the daily struggle of African states within a cruel global context that tends to marginalize them and consider them as reserves of raw materials for other countries, serving the interests of other nations.

Furthermore, he emphasized that the question of sovereignty of African states has always been relevant since their independence in the 1960s.

«Today, this sovereignty is more relevant than ever and faces complex challenges related to the complexity of political and economic relations, as well as the emergence of new phenomena beyond the control of the states themselves, such as globalization, asymmetric security threats, climate change, or human insecurity», he added.

The Prime Minister continued by stating that African states, individually or collectively, have the duty to fully assume their sovereignty to address the multiple security, political, economic, environmental, and humanitarian challenges they face, which threaten their existence in the long term.

Asserting the sovereignty of the African state is not only a necessity but also a prerequisite for its survival and the well-being of its populations.

Among the threats currently weighing on the sovereignty of the African state, the Prime Minister highlighted that security and humanitarian challenges are undoubtedly the most urgent and concerning, as evidenced by the security and humanitarian crises experienced in recent years by countries such as Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, Chad, Libya, and more recently, Sudan.

Therefore, he revealed that this situation requires not only a national awakening to preserve social cohesion and national unity but also a repositioning of African states on the world stage.

« We can no longer continue to be mere pawns on the world chessboard, or to serve the interests of other States to the detriment of the interests of our peoples», he insisted.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, the Prime Minister spoke of the choice made by Burkina Faso, which has decided, under the enlightened leadership of Captain Ibrahim Traoré, to fully assume its sovereignty, both internally and internationally, notably through strong action to fully liberate the national territory, though, among other things, the reorganization of the defense and security forces, the acquisition of appropriate equipment, and the reconfiguration of our foreign policy, marked by a diplomacy that is both realistic and conquering, with a diversification of its partners.

Sitou