Burkina Faso has released 11 Nigerian Air Force personnel detained after an emergency landing.

Burkina Faso said it has refused a proposal from the Trump administration to accept deportees from the United States.

Vote counting was underway in Guinea in a referendum on a draft constitution that could allow the junta leader to run for the presidency.

Burkina Faso’s parliament has passed a law banning homosexuality.

Burkina Faso’s junta leader Capt. Ibrahim Traore has sparked a social media debate, with some in Africa praising him and others criticizing him.

Human Rights Watch says at least 100 civilians in Burkina Faso were killed by government forces near the town of Solenzo in the western Boucle du Mouhoun region in an attack in March.

The last three years have been tough for Fanta Charlotte Dabone, a mother of three from the conflict-battered West African country of Burkina Faso.

Human Rights Watch says in a new report that Burkina Faso’s government unnecessarily exposed civilians to danger during a militant attack earlier this year.

Defense chiefs of West Africa on Thursday proposed an ambitious plan to deploy a 5,000-strong “standby force” to fight the region’s worsening security crises, a measure that analysts say might not work due to challenges of funding and division within the regional bloc.

Burkina Faso has suspended the BBC and Voice of America radio stations for their coverage of a report by Human Rights Watch on a mass killing of civilians carried out by the country’s armed forces.

Human Rights Watch says military forces in Burkina Faso killed 223 civilians, including babies and many children, in attacks on two villages accused of cooperating with militants.

The military juntas ruling Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger say they have agreed to create a joint force to fight extremist violence in their nations.

West Africa’s regional bloc says the coup-hit nations of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger are in haste to withdraw their membership of the association without following its rules of exit.

Monthslong tension between three coup-hit countries in West Africa and the regional bloc known as ECOWAS boiled over when the nations announced their immediate withdrawal from the bloc, accusing it of a lack of support and “inhumane” coup-related sanctions.

Three West African nations of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger have quit the regional economic bloc known as ECOWAS.

The United Nations' rights office says at least 40 civilians were killed last weekend by al-Qaida-linked rebels trying to take control of a besieged town in Burkina Faso’s hard-hit northern region.

Rights groups say in new reports that security forces and armed groups are committing alleged war crimes against civilians in Africa’s Sahel region where extremists and rebels are increasingly fighting to exert dominance and control resources in communities.

Most of the population in conflict-affected countries like Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso, Chad and northern Nigeria depends on climate-vulnerable agriculture.

The top Air Force commander for Europe and Africa says the U.S. military has resumed counterterrorism missions in Niger, flying drones and other aircraft out of Niger air bases more than a month after a coup temporarily halted all those activities there.

The deadline has arrived for Niger’s military junta to reinstate the country’s ousted president, but the West Africa regional bloc that has threatened a military intervention faces prominent appeals to pursue more peaceful means.

Regional mediation efforts to reverse the coup in Niger collapsed as soon as they started.

Defense chiefs from West African nations finalized an intervention plan and urged militaries to ready resources after negotiations deadlocked with Niger’s military junta, which says it is severing military agreements with France, its former colonial ruler.

Not everyone is hostile to last week's coup in Niger.

Violence linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group has made Burkina Faso a country with one of the world’s fastest-growing populations of internally displaced people.

An 88-year-old Australian doctor held captive by Islamic extremists in West Africa for more than seven years has been freed.

Burkina Faso’s government has opened investigations into allegations of human rights abuses by its security forces after a video surfaced that appeared to show the extrajudicial killing of seven children in the country’s north.

Cattle raiding by Islamic extremists is soaring at unprecedented levels in Mali, with jihadis linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group stealing millions of dollars' worth of cattle to buy weapons and vehicles to fund their insurgency across the war-torn West African country and region below the Sahara Desert, known as the Sahel.

Months after hundreds of French troops left Burkina Faso, ousted by the ruling military junta, speculation is mounting that the war-torn nation will fill the void with fighters from Russia’s shadowy mercenary outfit, the Wagner Group.

As extremist violence in West Africa’s Sahel region spreads south toward coastal states, the United States military has launched its annual military training exercise which will help armies contain the jihadi threat.

Africa’s largest film festival kicks off Saturday in the West African nation of Burkina Faso amid soaring jihadi violence that’s killed thousands and displaced nearly 2 million people.

Burkina Faso’s late revolutionary leader has been reburied eight years after his body was exhumed as part of an investigation.

France’s foreign ministry says French troops deployed to fight extremists in Burkina Faso will withdraw within a month following a demand by the country’s military rulers — which came after a similar move from neighboring Mali.

A rights group in Burkina Faso has charged that volunteer militia groups supporting the army have killed dozens of civilians of the ethnic Fulani group, including children, in the troubled country’s west.

Violence linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group, which has wracked much of West Africa’s inland Sahel region for more than seven years, is spreading to the region's coastal states and Benin is the hardest hit.

A United Nations official has warned that more than 25,000 people could face starvation in conflict-plagued parts of West Africa next year.

Burkina Faso has allegedly made an agreement with Russia’s Wagner Group in which the shadowy mercenary outfit will help the West African country deal with surging jihadi violence in exchange for a mine.

West African regional mediators have reached a deal with Guinea's military leader to organize new elections by January 2025.

Questions are swirling in Burkina Faso about what role Russia may have played in the West African nation's second coup this year.

Protesters are gathering in Burkina Faso's capital where West African regional mediators are stepping up pressure on the country's new junta.

Burkina Faso's new junta leader says the military still hopes to hold a new election by 2024.

Diplomats say that Burkina Faso's ousted coup leader Lt. Col. Paul Henri Sandaogo Damiba has left the country and headed to Togo.

Protesters in Burkina Faso's capital have attacked the French Embassy after the military junta in charge accused France of sheltering the ousted interim president.

More than a dozen members of the army have appeared on Burkina Faso's state broadcaster to declare they have overthrown the country's coup leader.

A suspected jihadi roadside bomb has hit a convoy in northern Burkina Faso, killing at least 35 people and injuring dozens more.

Burkina Faso’s former President Blaise Compaore returned to the West African country Thursday, the first time since being ousted in a popular uprising eight years ago.

The head of the U.N. refugee agency says Europe should be more much worried than it is that larger numbers of people from Africa’s Sahel region could seek to move north.

Attacks by Islamic extremists are on the rise five months after mutinous soldiers overthrew Burkina Faso's democratically elected president.

African leaders have gathered for a summit in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, to address growing humanitarian needs on the continent, which is also facing increased violent extremism, climate change challenges and a run of military coups.

The U.N. is warning that 18 million people in Africa’s Sahel region face severe hunger in the next three months.

Vibrant African clothes, both traditional and contemporary, enlivened the catwalk in Burkina Faso’s fashion week.

The West African country of Burkina Faso has 2 million displaced people who have fled rising violence from Islamic extremist groups.

Hunger is soaring across conflict-ridden Burkina Faso, a result of increasing violence by jihadi rebels linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group, which has killed thousands and displaced millions, preventing people from farming.

Burkina Faso’s ruling military junta says former president Roch Marc Christian Kabore, who has been under strict house arrest since being ousted in a coup in January, has been allowed to return to his personal home.

A Burkina Faso military tribunal has sentenced ex-President Blaise Compaore to life imprisonment for complicity in the murder of his predecessor Thomas Sankara in 1987 and for undermining state security.

West African leaders on Friday said they would uphold the regional sanctions imposed on Mali in January after its military leaders said they would stay in power for four more years instead of holding an election in February.

The Pritzker Architecture Prize has been awarded to Diébédo Francis Kéré, a Berlin-based architect, educator and social activist, for a craft that is “sustainable to the earth and its inhabitants in lands of extreme scarcity,” especially in Africa and his native Burkina Faso.

For Daouda Diallo the threat of death is constant in conflict-riddled Burkina Faso.

Burkina Faso’s junta leader Lt. Col. Paul Henri Sandaogo Damiba has been sworn in as president Wednesday, less than a month after mutinous soldiers seized control of the West African country in a coup.

Burkina Faso’s Constitutional Council says that junta leader Lt. Col. Paul Henri Sandaogo Damiba has been declared president.

West Africa is grappling with a wave of military coups over the past 18 months that has some wondering which country could be next.

The African Union has announced in a tweet that it has suspended Burkina Faso until constitutional order is restored in the West African country.

Experts are warning that Burkina Faso could face more instability in the aftermath of this week's military coup.

Burkina Faso’s new military leader says he is going to bring security and order back to the conflict-ridden nation and unite the country, but warns that betrayal wouldn’t be tolerated by the new regime.

Hundreds of people have marched through the streets of Burkina Faso’s capital in a show of support for the new military-led junta that ousted democratically elected President Roch Marc Christian Kabore and seized control of the country.

More than a dozen mutinous soldiers declared that a military junta has seized control of Burkina Faso in West Africa.

Residents in Burkina Faso's capital say gunfire has erupted in the same area as embattled President Roch Marc Christian Kabore’s home.

Security forces have fired tear gas at protesters barricading the streets and throwing rocks in Burkina Faso’s capital, as anger grows at the government’s inability to stop jihadist attacks spreading across the country.

Host Cameroon came from behind to beat Burkina Faso 2-1 in the opening game of the African Cup of Nations.

Twins are seen as both a blessing and a curse in some West African countries.

The U_N_ human rights chief says if insecurity in Burkina Faso keeps up, the West African country could spiral into a humanitarian and human rights “catastrophe.”.

Security forces have fired tear gas at protesters throwing rocks in Burkina Faso’s capital.

A new report by the United Nations Children’s Fund says children in West and Central Africa have become the most recruited by armed groups in the world and have the highest number of victims of sexual violence.

The French military has denied injuring civilians in Burkina Faso when firing warning shots to disperse protesters who had blocked its military convoy.

Violence linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group is ravaging Burkina Faso, killing thousands, displacing more than 1 million people and leaving hundreds missing.

Africa’s largest film festival is kicking off in Burkina Faso for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic began.

A military court in Burkina Faso has started the trial of 14 people including former President Blaise Compaore for the killing of influential leftist leader Thomas Sankara, who was ousted as president by Compaore in a 1987 coup.

Nearly a year and a half after being abducted by Islamic extremists in Burkina Faso, Edith Blais risked her life to escape, fearing she’d never be free.

A third country has joined the medal table for the very first time at the 2020 Tokyo Games.

Awoken by gunshots in the middle of the night, Fatima Amadou was shocked by what she saw among the attackers: children.

An increase in attacks by extremist groups in Burkina Faso's west has put the military on edge.

Hollywood actress Angelina Jolie has visited war-weakened Burkina Faso to show solidarity with people who continue to welcome the displaced, despite grappling with their own insecurity, and said the world isn’t doing enough to help.

An unofficial truce between Burkina Faso and jihadi rebels appears to be unraveling.

While the world's wealthier nations have stockpiled coronavirus vaccines for their citizens, many other poorer countries are still scrambling to secure doses.

A plane carrying the bodies of three Europeans killed by jihadists in Burkina Faso this week while they were filming a documentary on wildlife poaching has landed in an airport near the Spanish capital of Madrid.

Macron joined by video from Paris a summit organized in N'Djamena, Chad with the leaders of Mali, Burkina Faso, Chad, Niger and Mauritania. It is made up of soldiers from Mali, Burkina Faso, Chad, Niger and Mauritania who operate in cooperation with French troops. “This was unexpected a year ago,” Armand Joseph Kabore, director of Labo Citoyennetes, a think tank in Burkina Faso told The Associated Press. ”(The G5 Sahel) force has to be more present, more of a deterrent, and capable of efficiently opposing forces of evil,” he said. ___Mednick reported from Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.

Since November, the conflict-riddled West African nation of Burkina Faso faces a much deadlier second coronavirus wave than the first and health officials worry a lack of knowledge and adherence to coronavirus measures is making it hard to rein in. As of Sunday, the government had recorded 11,227 COVID-19 cases, since the pandemic started, according to the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Health experts worry that as COVID-19 cases and deaths rise, doctors and nurses will be diverted from treating patients with the country’s endemic diseases. If certain criteria are fulfilled and the vaccine is approved by the World Health Organization, Burkina Faso could receive 1.6 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine within weeks. “As long as I’m here, they are not at ease.”___Follow AP coverage of the coronavirus pandemic at: https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic, https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-vaccine and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak

Balkissa Barro, 10, center, walks to school with friends in the Burkina Faso village of Dori Tuesday Oct. 20, 2020. In Burkina Faso, worries over the COVID-19 pandemic come second to threats of attacks by extremists linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group. At Wendou school, 1,400 children use 14 hand-washing stations and no one has masks, said Dofiko Kone, the headmaster. Although they’ve now returned to class, school meals haven’t yet started and the little support he gets from aid groups is not enough to sustain them. “The children go to school but when they come back ... there is no food, there is no place to sleep,” he said.

President Roch Marc Christian Kabore addresses supporters in Ouagadougou after learning he will serve another five years as Burkina Faso's president, according to provisional results announced by the National Independent Electoral Commission Thursday Nov 26, 2020. (AP Photo/Sophie Garcia)OUAGADOUGOU – Roch Marc Christian Kabore will serve another five years as Burkina Faso’s president, according to provisional results announced by the National Independent Electoral Commission on Thursday. The election commission president said final results should be out Saturday, which then must be verified by the constitutional court. More than 900 polling stations expected to open didn’t, impacting nearly 600,000 registered voters, according to the electoral commission. As Kabore’s supporters celebrated, opposition supporters said they’ll accept the results but expect the opposition to hold the ruling party accountable.

Voters went to the polls in Burkina Faso on Sunday for the elections that have been marred by ongoing extremist violence in this landlocked West African nation. “The reasons are mainly security and also it’s impossible to find someone to manage the polling stations,” Barry said. Burkina Faso experts say the violence and intimidation show how limited the authorities’ control and legitimacy really are. It’s about the development of Burkina Faso, it’s about peace in our country, so it’s important that each Burkinabe vote,” he said. ___AP reporter Arsene Kabore in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, contributed to this report.

Supporters of Burkina Faso President Roch Kabore attend a campaign rally in Bobo-Dioulasso Thursday, Nov. 5, 2020. Burkina Faso will go to the polls on Nov. 22, 2020, to vote in presidential and legislative elections marred by ongoing violence. (AP Photo/Sam Mednick)OUAGADOUGOU – Burkina Faso will vote in presidential and legislative elections on Sunday, amid escalating extremist violence that’s killed more than 2,000 people this year and displaced some one million people from their homes. Komboigo told the AP that Burkina Faso was in a “catastrophe” and blamed Kabore for being unwilling to pursue a more diplomatic approach with the jihadists. Kabore is expected to be re-elected and needs more than 50% of the vote to win in the first round.

Supporters of Burkina Faso President Roch Kabore attend a campaign rally in Bobo-Dioulasso Thursday, Nov. 5, 2020. Burkina Faso will go to the polls on Nov. 22, 2020, to vote in presidential and legislative elections marred by ongoing violence. Burkina Faso will go to the polls on Nov. 22 to vote in presidential and legislative elections marred by ongoing violence. This month’s vote is only Burkina Faso’s second democratically held election since gaining independence from France in 1960. “The stakes are high in a way, because of (Burkina Faso’s) severe problems and the importance of consolidating democracy,” said Alex Thurston, assistant professor of political science at the University of Cincinnati in the United States.

File-This June 4, 2020, file photo shows Women and children walk in a makeshift site for displaced people in Kongoussi, Burkina Faso. U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said the funds will help some 10 million people in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger for the remainder of this year and through next year with nutrition, food, health services, water and sanitation, shelter, education, protection and support to survivors of gender-based violence. Both Guterres and Lowcock appealed for $2.4 billion to cover the remaining months of 2020 and 2021. U.N. spokesman Dujarric said donors pledged $985 million for this year and $704 million for 2021 and beyond. The United States was next pledging $274.8 million followed by Denmark with $183.1 million, the European Union with $122.8 million and Germany with $118.2 million.

A worker moves boxes at Snowman Logistics, India's largest cold storage company in Taloja, on the outskirts of Mumbai, India, Saturday, Oct. 17, 2020. From factory to syringe, the world’s most promising coronavirus vaccine candidates need non-stop sterile refrigeration to stay potent and safe. Currently, 42 coronavirus vaccine candidates are in clinical trials and another 151 are in pre-clinical evaluation, according to WHO. Dr. Gagandeep Kang, who led the research for that vaccine, estimated that India has about 30% less storage capacity than it would need for a coronavirus vaccine. In Latin America, perhaps nowhere more than Venezuela provides a glimpse into how the vaccine cold chain could go dramatically off course.

File-This June 4, 2020, file photo shows Women and children walk in a makeshift site for displaced people in Kongoussi, Burkina Faso. Compared to the average of the last five years, acute food insecurity has increased by a staggering 514% in Burkina Faso, 130% in Mali and 144% in Niger, his agency said. “What I hope is through this conference, for these three countries, we’ll get up to about a billion dollars for 2020,” Lowcock said. “That will certainly enable us to keep the situation under control and contain the worst difficulties. “So you don’t get to choose where you have to start the journey, but you do have to take the first steps.”

World Food Program (WFP) Executive Director David Beasley speaks to the media about the organization's Nobel Peace Prize win, at the airport in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, late Friday, Oct. 9, 2020. The World Food Program won the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday for fighting hunger and seeking to end its use as "a weapon of war and conflict" at a time when the coronavirus pandemic has driven millions more people to the brink of starvation. (AP Photo/Sam Mednick)OUAGADOUGOU – The head of the World Food Program said winning the Nobel Peace Prize while he was visiting the impoverished and war-weakened Sahel was a message to the world that it should not forget the region. “The fact that I was in the Sahel when we received the announcement is really a message from above that, hey world with all the things going on around the world today please don’t forget about the people in the Sahel!" “We can avert famine in Burkina Faso but we’ve got to have two things, money and access.

A number of elections are set to be held later this year involving incumbents, including in Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso and Niger. The two countries are both part of the G5 Sahel regional force along with Chad, Niger and Burkina Faso which is trying to battle extremists across the Sahel. Burkina Faso was long spared the kind of extremist violence seen across the border, but that has changed. Coupcast, a project of One Earth Future using historical data to predict the likelihood of a coup attempt, put Burkina Faso in the top 10 African countries likely to see a coup in last year's report. Coupcast also put Niger in the top 10 African countries likely to see a coup in their 2019 report.

In Burkina Faso one in five young children is chronically malnourished. Food prices have spiked, and 12 million of the countrys 20 million residents dont get enough to eat. (AP Photo/Sam Mednick)Your daily look at late-breaking news, upcoming events and the stories that will be talked about today:1. VIRUS-LINKED HUNGER TIED TO CHILD DEATHS The U.N. says coronavirus-linked hunger is leading to the deaths of 10,000 children a month because of fears of contamination and movement restrictions, AP finds. TRUMP RANKLES GOP OVER MAIL VOTING The presidents campaign against voting by mail is setting his party back in swing states in the race to sign its voters up for the easiest and safest way to cast a ballot during the pandemic.