AES police chiefs meet in Ouagadougou to strengthen security cooperation
via Lefaso.net4 min read
Police directors general from Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger met in Ouagadougou to reinforce their commitment to building a common security architecture within the AES bloc. This meeting follows a previous one in Bamako in January 2025 and a gathering of AES security ministers on July 1, 2026, where a technical arrangement for harmonizing road control systems was signed and a draft additional protocol on internal security was validated. General Controller of Police Youssouf Koné, Director General of the National Police of Mali, emphasized the need for a common defense and security architecture to meet public expectations. Inspector General of Police Thierry Dofizouho Tuina, Director General of the National Police of Burkina Faso, stated that these advancements reflect the member states' desire to progressively build common security, asserting that sovereignty is built through concrete actions. The technical discussions will focus on implementing the road control harmonization arrangement, ensuring interoperability of police information systems, and pooling technological and scientific capabilities, particularly in judicial investigations and maintaining order. Koné highlighted the necessity of continued cooperation to combat terrorism, transnational organized crime, illicit migrant trafficking, human trafficking, and cybercrime, advocating for shared forces and resources, improved intelligence flow, standardized control procedures, and joint operations. He also addressed the n
Free daily or weekly digest of the most important stories from across 18 African countries. No spam, unsubscribe any time.
This summary was AI-generated from a story originally published by Lefaso.net.
Must ReadOn Thursday, July 16, 2026, in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso's Prime Minister, Rimtalba Jean Emmanuel Ouédraogo, met with the President of the African Union Commission, Mahamoud Ali Youssouf, advocating for a refoundation of the pan-African organization. The Prime Minister called for a more sovereign, effective African Union that aligns better with the aspirations of African people. He questioned if the African Union is truly a union and truly African, citing the dissipation of unity ambitions and insufficient solidarity with African populations facing existential threats, particularly in the Sahel. He criticized the AU for focusing on "discourse of principle" instead of providing concrete solutions to urgent issues. Ouédraogo also stated that the conflict in the Sahel is a "war of recolonization" and denounced an informational war against Burkina Faso and the Confederation of Sahel States, urging the AU to move beyond externally imposed narratives. He highlighted the difficulty for Africans to travel within the continent as evidence that true union is lacking. Furthermore, he argued that the AU's dependence on foreign funding prevents it from defending African causes, emphasizing that "the hand that receives is always below the one that gives." He urged the AU to champion African sovereignty in line with the vision of its founding fathers and to undertake a deep self-criticism of its direction to defend African interests. In response, Mahamoud Ali Youssouf affirmed understanding
Must ReadDjibril Pamousso initiated the Grand Data Exhibition in Africa GSDA with the goal of fostering an African ecosystem where data drives development. He emphasized that Africa must not be left behind as artificial intelligence transforms economies, administrations, and societies, highlighting the need to address the challenges and opportunities data presents for sustainable development. The exhibition aims to provide a framework for sharing experiences, strengthening skills, and creating synergies for the continent's development, based on a rigorous study of the needs of businesses, administrations, academia, and youth. The first edition of GSDA is under the patronage of the Minister of Digital Transition, Aminata Zerbo/Sabané. Michel Jonas Somé, representing the Minister, praised the initiative as timely, offering Burkina Faso and Africa a platform for strategic exchanges on data in the age of artificial intelligence. He noted that data has become a strategic resource, with a country's ability to produce, collect, organize, protect, host, and leverage its data indicating its power and autonomy. Somé stressed that mastering data is a strategic imperative for Africa, given its talented youth, dynamic universities, innovative businesses, and considerable potential. He also mentioned Burkina Faso's efforts to secure national digital assets through data center acquisition, aiming to make data a lever for sovereignty, public performance, and value creation. The GSDA will feature high
Must ReadThe 4th edition of the International Exhibition of Digital Economy Professionals of the West African Economic and Monetary Union SIPEN-UEMOA, held in Ouagadougou on July 14 and 15, 2026, focused on "Refounding the digital economy within UEMOA: artificial intelligence, FinTech, and inclusive finance." A high-level panel on July 15, themed "Governance, digital trust, and financial sovereignty," featured experts including Adolphe Kaboré, interim director of the digital economy at the UEMOA commission; Charles Millogo, telecommunications engineer and head of digital economy financing at BOAD for the UEMOA area; Hervé Moundouho Cissp, cybersecurity expert at Kaspersky; Alassane Kafando, cybersecurity engineer at Telecel Faso; and Bernard Abaloutou Bialabna, data protection expert from Togo. The discussions highlighted the need for a harmonized regional governance framework for personal data protection to ensure financial stability and foster innovation, especially given the increasing complexity of governance, security, and financial crime in the accelerating digital transformation. Adolphe Kaboré emphasized the challenge of adapting regulatory frameworks to innovation, protecting personal data, combating money laundering, and ensuring interoperability. He also stressed the need to regulate large digital firms to prevent unfair competition. Charles Millogo advocated for a prudential approach, encouraging low-risk innovations while closely monitoring high-risk activities and streng