Focus on Africa

What is behind armed attacks in Burkina Faso?

In a rare move, Burkina Faso’s military-led government has acknowledged that a deadly attack has taken place in which at least 200 security officers and villagers were killed. Some reports say it could be one of the worst ever in the country. So who was behind the attack and why is the military government unable to contain the violence?

Zambia faces a maize contamination crisis as aflatoxins – produced by certain mould and fungi - kill dozens of dogs, sparking health concerns. How can communities keep their food safe?

And what sparked the massive fallout at at the top of South Africa's opposition Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) that has led to the departure and defection of the party’s deputy leader.

Presenter: Charles Gitonga Producers: Bella Hassan and Yvette Twagiramariya in London. Susan Gachuhi in Nairobi Technical Producer: Jonny Hall Senior Producer: Patricia Whitehorne Editors: Alice Muthengi and Andre Lombard

Broadcast on:: 27 Aug 2024
Audio Format:: other

Hello and welcome to this podcast from the BBC World Service. Please let us know what you think and tell other people about us on social media. Podcasts from the BBC World Service are supported by advertising. Ryan Reynolds here for, I guess, my hundredth mint commercial. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. Honestly, when I started this, I thought I'd only have to do like four of these. I mean, it's unlimited to premium wireless for $15 a month. How are there still people paying two or three times that much? I'm sorry, I shouldn't be victim blaming here. Give it a try at midmobile.com/switch, whatever you're ready. $45 up from payment equivalent to $15 per month. New customers on first three month plan only, taxes and fees extra. Speed slower above 40 gigabytes of seat details. Neat new glasses or one of fresh new style? Warby Parker has you covered. Glasses started just 95 bucks, including anti-reflective scratch-resistant prescription lenses that block 100% of UV rays. Every frame's designed in-house with a huge selection of styles for every face shape. And with Warby Parker's free home trion program, you can order five pairs to try at home for free. Shipping is free both ways, too. Go to warbyparker.com/covered to try five pairs of frames at home for free. Warby Parker.com/covered. Hello, I'm Charles Guitonga and here is what's coming up for you on this edition of Focus on Africa. The concerns of a food safety in Zambia after Aflatoxins were found in maize. There isn't very big concern, as you know, we depend on this type of crop. And anything that threatens that particular crop threatens the economic part of it. It also risks our trade relationships with other neighboring countries. And in South Africa, shock as the economic freedom fighter's party deputy leader exits. Who is he and what did he do for the party? Floyd has been deputy to Malima for more than 10 years. He had ambitions to become the president of the EFF. And there were no indications that Julas Malima was about to leave anytime soon. So he got tired, he wanted power. It's Tuesday, the 27th of August. First, we go to Burkina Faso. The country has been battling Islamist insurgency for several years. About half of the country is said to be currently outside of the control of a military-led government, which seized power in 2022. At the time, the Hunta argued that the deposed government and the French troops deployed in the country and done little to tackle the jihadist groups linked to al-Qaeda and the so-called Islamic State. The French troops have since been kicked out and ties with Russia strengthened. However, cases of insecurity have been on the rise even with the Hunta in power. An attack of the weekend in the northern part of the country is reported to have killed over 200 security officers and civilians. In a rare move, the Hunta has acknowledged the attack, which an al-Qaeda-linked group claimed responsibility for. To put this in perspective, here is Helen Abattoni Muzungu, a global security analyst who specializes in sub-Saharan Africa at the Risk Assistance Network Exchange. The people and the Drentai itself are still in shock. There's still heightened security presence in Basa logo where the attack took place and there have been visits by Drenta officials to residents who were affected by the attack. So the attack has now been claimed by al-Qaeda affiliate Gen-M, which killed at least 200 people including civilians, security forces and pro-government militias. Talk to us about this al-Qaeda affiliate group that conducted this attack, who are they? So Gen-M is a coalition of al-Qaeda-linked groups which started in Mali in 2017 and spread to Niger and Burkina Faso. Its primary objectives are to expand influence across the Sahel and possibly beyond, as we've been seeing in recent years, destabilize local governments and drive out Western forces, particularly the French and UN peacekeeping missions, which so far has been done by the Drentas. They also aim to position themselves as protectors of local population to gain support, which they are doing well in areas like Central Monty. So Helene, that sounds quite interesting because in the context of Burkina Faso, when the military junta took over in 2022, they said they wanted to do something very similar. They said the government had failed to protect local populations from attacks. They said they wanted to drive out foreign influence, particularly from the French and other Western allies. Why do these missions sound so similar yet being executed in very horrible ways where people die? There are various reasons to why the junta is failing at protecting the population. Particularly in Burkina Faso, the junta has put in place very harsh counterterrorism strategies, such as force conscription coupled with inadequate equipping of pro-government militias and security forces themselves, leading to high casualty rates, further driving recruitment for jihadist groups. Secondly, abuses by security forces have also fueled jihadist recruitment by exploiting local grievances and expanding their influence geographically. And finally, the lack of air power and equipment from the departure of French and other Western allies means that there has been increased jihadist mobility, allowing them to mobilize in larger numbers and carry out frequent large-scale attacks that we are seeing today. Also, how many militant groups we are seeing operating in Burkina Faso because about half of the country seems to be outside the control of the military government there. How many other groups are there and who are they linked to in the sense of the globally known Islamic or even terrorist groups? There are two main ones, one of them being Genem that I explained earlier, and the second one being Islamic State's group, which is known locally as Islamic State Sahel Province. So the Islamic State Sahel Province, they also aim to establish a caliphate and impose their strict interpretation of Islam while expanding control over territories, particularly through violent attacks and targeting of state authorities. So since losing its strongholds in the Middle East in 2019, the Islamic State shifted its propaganda to focus on expansion in Sub-Saharan Africa where it has five branches, including the Sahel one. Just elaborate further on that point in the sense that how do these militant groups like Al-Qaeda and Islamic State's IS define what are their links to their different African countries? Interestingly, in the terms of similarities, both groups are competing for influence, resources and recruits in the Sahel, leading to clashes between their fighters but while also contributing to the widespread instability in the region. So IS is the one that most connected to other groups on the continent, we have them in Mozambique, there's the allied democratic forces in Istanbul, Congo that claim affiliation to the Islamic State in Somalia and also the Sahel Province that I just mentioned. So while coordination between these groups is not at times very obvious but they contribute to the global agenda in terms of attacks, scale of attacks and tactics that they use. You mentioned earlier, Helene, that the military junta in Burkina Faso could be failing in terms of its protection mandate to the civilian population. Why are they failing and could it be the reason we are seeing an increase in attacks? Because just in June, there was another quite deadly attack as well. One of the main reasons that they're failing is lack of capabilities. This is driven by the poverty levels that Burkina Faso faces, the isolation that it's facing as part of the implications of the cools that we saw in 2022. But we also saw a huge reallocation of security resources following the cool where the junta shifted personnel and equipment from jihadist hotspots to protect the capital, creating vulnerabilities in other areas. The difference this time is we've seen the army of issues acknowledge this attack. You mentioned that they had visited the population that was affected by this. Why are they doing this now given that in the past they have not been at the forefront of acknowledging these attacks? Acknowledging a large-scale attack like this one is part of a strategy to show the population that they understand what is happening and that doing all that they can to protect the population from the enemy who are the jihadist. But this is mainly for them to avoid backlash from the population and potential protests. Acknowledging some attacks while downplaying others allows the junta to control the narrative. They may avoid reporting some attacks to prevent the perception that they're losing control over the security situation. So Burkina Faso itself has topped the recent Noejian Refugee Council NRC list of world's most neglected displacement crisis. How badly is the insecurity in the country affecting the people there? 50 to 60% of the country is not under government control. We're talking about dire socio-economic challenges and just quickly according to the Global Terrorism Index, nearly 2,000 people were killed in 258 attacks in Burkina Faso last year. And this accounts for a quarter of all terrorist deaths globally and up 68% from the previous year. So this means this mass displacement from attacks with over 2 million people displaced internally. There's no access to basic services such as food, education as schools are closed and no limited access to health care. Helen, thank you so much for your time. Thank you. Helen Abatoni Nzungu, a global security analyst at the Risk Assistance Network Exchange, RAIN. To Zambia, now, where the country is facing a serious issue with Aflatoxins in maize, dozens of dogs have reportedly died after eating contaminated food, raising concerns about potential risks to people. Tests found that about half of the samples from grain milling companies contained high levels of the toxins, which can cause liver cancer according to the World Health Organization. The government has asked the companies to recall the affected products from the market to avoid further consumption. Now maize is a staple food in Zambia, making this a major public health concern and authorities are investigating the nation's grain supply following these alarming findings. Eric Kalima is an agronomist and has been explaining to me what Aflatoxins are and how damaging they can be to both humans and animals. To drill in on what Aflatoxins are, these are just simply a very natural occurring toxins that you'll find in different grains that we consume. But these Aflatoxins are produced by certain modes which are very specific, a certain pathogens that contribute to that. So when you're growing a certain crop in your field, depending on the temperature fluctuations, you may have high low temperatures, weight, humid environments, those conditions. They normally tend to bring in the production of these modes that tend to be in the field. Sometimes they will cling to the crop or the grains, harvesting during production, even during storage times. You can have these toxins being produced, especially after the modes of development. So the modes are developed and they happen to have these Aflatoxins. Why are these toxins dangerous for consumption by human beings and animals? These Aflatoxins are quite dangerous because they are chemical compounds that have caught the potential of causing cancer. And these are permissible levels of these toxins that can be consumed by a human being's even animals. But apparently, for your own information, human beings metabolize or tolerate these toxins better than animals such as dogs. So you find that the levels that are permissible for human beings are slightly higher as compared to the animals such as dogs and the rest. This is what happens because of that concern about the cancer causing part. These Aflatoxins should not be taken in excess or any prolonged exposure to these toxins. They can cause other effects that can affect both animal health and human health. So help us then understand how the Aflatoxins come about. You did mention about pathogens growing in the fields and things like that. Is it just about maize in the field or is it about how it's harvested, how it's stored and processes like that? It's not only about maize, how it is grown and processed in the field, it's beyond. Even other crops such as peanuts, cotton seed, tree nuts, talk of macadamia, pecans, they also get these toxins. Now, how do they get contaminated? We are looking at the field contamination during the production time. When somebody is growing this particular crop, if at all they introduce this particular grain or seed of maize in the field, that is already contaminated. At that point, they are also exposing that particular seed to grow up together with that particular pathogen that is going to cause these Aflatoxins because of the modes that we develop. So away from the production times, we're looking at also how do they store these grains once they are in the storage sheets. The storage also is a big concern. If it is not well ventilated, you are building up the humidity in that storage sheet. The temperature is quite high, ventilation is compromised. Again, you are making the environment conducive for these modes to start producing these toxins via these pathogens. Right, so help us then understand the latest news really. How widespread is the contamination that we are talking about right now, and have there been sort of tests that have been done on maize, the grains available in the market now to determine the extent of this contamination? The tests have been done. We know the authorities are giving us updates. Yesterday, we had the director from the Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries talking about what the government has done so far that are responsible for looking after the welfare of both animal side and the human side. So what they've done, the extent to which this has affected the country is that we heard initially the number was around 400 dogs that had died. But from what we have been told now, it's 99 dogs that succumbed across the country. I've seen the pattern, which is quite strange. It's normally along the line of love and the people in the rural areas, mainly they are not affected by this pattern. So more tests have been conducted. Of course, they did some tests, but they got fellow samples that they sent to South Africa for confirmation just to make sure that what they were suspected is truly the case that they are trying to fight. So that is what the government have done so far. And is there a concern across the country as well, especially among the members of the public because maize is a stable food in Zambia and Zambia is actually a large produce of maize selling to other countries as well in the region? There isn't very big concern, as you know, we depend on this type of crop and anything that threatens that particular crop threatens the economic part of it. It also risks our trade relationships with other neighboring countries. The more reason why we have seen that the government is now trying to come in and intervene and making sure that everything possible has been done to abit this situation, which has raised a lot of dust in the past one week or so. Okay, I noticed something you say that people in the villages, rural areas are not quite affected by this got me wondering because majority of the food they consume is not processed. It's not gone through the usual value chain of getting into factories and being put in shelves. And are we seeing any response from milling companies and food producers in the country responding to what's happening now? We've seen the response from the food processors and the millers as well. They record some batches. Last week, there was a very huge exercise that was done by the regulator authorities where in number of bags of maize were destroyed that we have found with a flat toxins beyond the permissible levels. So the state moved in and made sure that those did not find themselves with the consumers. So there are certain batches that have been record of the market and to record. It's not an easy exercise, but I'm glad that the government have come in also to try to work with these millers to make sure that they identify the dealers that they work with and communicate to them not to sell those batches to consumers because of what they have found in those particular batches that could be threatening to both animal and human health. And finally then, how can Zambia avoid a situation like this in the future? Is there a way to prevent the contamination of food with flat toxins? There's something that should be done, not only Zambia like you have ported globally or Africa. You know that we have this animal that has been traded by a number of countries which we are calling climate change. That is causing huge fluctuations in terms of temperatures, we experiencing warm, humid temperatures. Sometimes it's too much rainfall floods that are coming in, and we need to prepare adequately for such kind of event validities as a country. Most of all, farmers, food safety should be the number one, whatever that we are handling, they should be deliberate measures that should be put in on how to handle these food safety, starting from the farmers, those people that are using and are wasting mechanically. How are they doing it? Are we not seeing damages on the kennels because if they've done damages on the kennels and the moisture is high enough for the mods to fall. We know that we are fostering the development of these mods and production of these toxins by these pathogens will be exacerbated. Even from that, the inspection of storage facilities has to be enhanced, even from the mila site, the food processors for both animals and humans, they should be deliberate measure, where these storage facilities has to be inspected, legally, and people will be wondering that they have to be trained and equipped with enough knowledge because that is important. This is a big wake up call that we can diversify and introduce other crops that probably we can depend on in cases and times like this. This should not be a barrier or should be a reason for people to starve today. This should give us an opportunity to look at other crops also that we can grow and produce to make sure that human health and animal health are protected. Eric Kalima, an agronomist in Zambia. This is Fokas on Africa from the BBC World Service. Need new glasses or one of fresh new style? Warby Parker has you covered. Glasses started just 95 bucks, including anti-reflective scratch resistant prescription lenses that block 100% of UV rays, every frame is designed in-house with a huge selection of styles for every face shape. And with Warby Parker's free home trion program, you can order 5 pairs to try at home for free. Shipping is free both ways too. Go to warbyparker.com/covered to try 5 pairs of frames at home for free, warbyparker.com/covered. Hello, I'm Sumi Somaskanda from the Global Story Podcast. Kamala Harris and Donald Trump offer two very different views on climate change. One of them will lead the world's greatest producer of fossil fuels and have the power to reshape global climate action. So what would a Harris or Trump presidency mean for the climate crisis? The Global Story brings you fresh takes and smart perspectives from BBC journalists around the world. Find us wherever you get your podcasts. And now to South Africa. The aftershocks from last May's election continue to reverberate. The ruling African National Congress ANC lost its parliamentary majority for the first time in 30 years. This was after the ANC lost votes to a new party or former president Jacob Zuma Ummkonto Wessizwe party or MK party. The country now has a government of national unity. Last week, the spotlight turned to the economic freedom fighters party EFF. Its foundations were shaken after the deputy leader Floyd Shivambu defected to MK. In this year's election, the EFF suffered a major setback when instead of becoming the country's second largest party, it dropped to fourth. Mr Shivambu has long been seen as the EFF's ideological guru behind the fiery Julius Malema. So what does this development mean for the EFF, Julius Malema and South African politics? I've been speaking to a leading commentator on South African politics, Prince Michelle. He is the executive director of the Center for Politics and Research. Let's start with you explaining to us who Floyd Shivambu is. For people not in South Africa, people that may not have heard of him with him. Floyd Shivambu is a relatively young politician. In his early 40s, he is a prominent figure in South African politics. To directly come from the African National Congress, he was groomed in the ANC Youth League. He worked with a firebrand that is well known in South Africa, Julius Malema. They have been personal friends and working together in the ANC Youth League. Julius Malema was expelled from the ANC Youth League back in 2012. And he went on together with his friend, Floyd Shivam, to form a very radical leftist political organization called the Economic Freedom Fighters. Floyd Shivambu became the deputy president and Malema became president. So over 10 years, they actually radicalized African politics, mainly appealing to the unemployed youth who felt that they had lost out of democracy. And recently, they had a massive fallout and Floyd Shivambu left the Economic Freedom Fighters. Yeah. And why did he leave? What's the scent of that fallout? Floyd has been, as I said, deputy to Malema for more than 10 years. He had ambitions to become the president of the EFF, and there were no indications that Julius Malema was about to leave anytime soon. So he got tired of becoming the deputy to his old friend. He wanted power. In the recent times in South Africa, as you know, a government of national unity has been formed, and the two of them, that is Floyd and Julius, had differences as to the participation of the EFF in the government of national unity. And these differences widened their personal rift, and Floyd Shivambu eventually decided that he must leave the EFF, and it looks to me that he didn't only want to leave, but he wanted to destabilize the EFF. The thing is, the EFF also came forth in the elections in May, which was quite unexpected because they were beaten by Jacob Zumas, the former president party, MK, which was a very young party formed towards the end of last year. Are they losing influence, and could that be part of the reason why the leadership is not holding together? This was, for the first time since they were formed 11 years ago, that they actually experienced an electoral decline. This could partly explain why Floyd Shivambu left, because he can see that the EFF is now moving in reverse and electorally. And when he looked on the other side, he realized that Jacob Zumas's new party was formed, which was formed hardly eight months ago, grew and became the third largest party in South Africa. So he may also be seeing political fortunes in MK and hoping that he is going to be prominent and that he can use the MK to actually be a leader of South Africa one day. Now he's found a new home Mr Shivambu in President Zumas party. What does this say about the comeback of Jacob Zumas in the South African politics? Because not only did they become third in the election, now he's getting some influential figures from one of the key competitors in the South African politics. It means Jacob Zuma is a formidable figure in South African politics, but it does not mean that Jacob Zuma has a future in South African politics because he's very old. He's 83 years old now, and he has already served as South Africa's president. The courts have already ruled that he cannot go to parliament, given that he has a criminal record. He doesn't have a future in South African politics, but he is actually a current destabilizer today in South Africa. So the hope is that those leaders, young leaders who are gravitating towards this party, that they will grow the party and be influential in the future. I doubt if that will happen because the main drew holding together the party is actually Jacob Zuma himself. Did they hit the party from politics? I think that the party will fall apart. And what does this then, the issues in EFF, what do they mean for the whole opposition outfit in South Africa because there was a government of national unity not long ago. The smaller parties who are left out or probably didn't want to join, are they given the issues now? Are they able to challenge the government properly in South Africa and play the role in opposition, given the issues that you are seeing internally in the EFF? The EFF is now a very weak party, and as a result, it will be unable to exact political force to challenge the government of national unity. I think that a party that is going to shake the political tree in South Africa is unconscious Israel, not the EFF. The EFF is actually a limping party that must fight for its political survival. It has to concentrate on itself. It cannot concentrate on shaking the political tree in the wider South Africa. People must be wondering whether we could be seeing the beginning of the end of EFF and its influence in the South African politics, because I'm assuming Mr. Shivambu must have had friends and people loyal to him within the party, being a deputy party leader, which is a huge position. Are we likely to see more movements, people migrating from that party and joining the MK or even any other parties within the South African political sphere? The president of the EFF, Julius Malima, did say that he is aware of other leaders of the EFF who are going to leave and follow Floyd Chibam, and the expectation is that the party will lose more members and leaders. Prince Michelle Adair in South Africa. Focus on Africa was produced by Bella Hassan and Yvette Troggira-Maria in London. Susan Gashouhi was in Nairobi, Patricia White-Hone was in charge, and Joni Hall was a technical producer. Our editors are Andrea Lombard and Alice Moudengi. I'm Charles Guitonga, we'll speak again next time. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ Hello, I'm Sumi Somasganda from the Global Story podcast. Kamala Harris and Donald Trump offer two very different views on climate change. One of them will lead the world's greatest producer of fossil fuels and have the power to reshape global climate action. So what would a Harris or Trump presidency mean for the climate crisis? The global story brings you fresh takes and smart perspectives from BBC journalists around the world. Find us wherever you get your podcasts. [BLANK_AUDIO]