No one was killed when gunmen on motorcycles stormed a police station in Burkina Faso's restless north last week – but only because the outnumbered officers quickly fled the scene, allowing an unknown number of detained terror suspects to escape.
The attack in the heart of Djibo on Thursday night came just hours after French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian arrived in the capital Ouagadougou, his second visit this year to address deteriorating security in the country since a deadly assault on the French embassy last March.
French officials say the raid was a "catastrophe", signalling a growing boldness of Islamist fighters in the north of the former French colony, while also broadcasting the government's apparent inability to protect its citizens.
"Clearly Burkina Faso is now the main worry" among the G5 Sahel nations trying to fend off Islamic militancy and lawlessness in five nations on the Sahara's southern rim since 2015, a top French diplomatic source said, warning of a "very long" anti-terrorist fight.
Already about 220 schools have been closed in the north and up to 40,000 people have been driven from their homes toward Djibo, a town that is home to one of the biggest cattle markets in West Africa.
In September, a spate of near-daily roadside bomb attacks erupted along the eastern border with Niger, a sparsely populated area of national parks with a history of smuggling activities.
Although attacks in the area have subsided in recent weeks, NGOs have told their workers to remain in larger cities for fear of landmines.
So far no group has claimed responsibility for the bombings, which officials say could be the work of Ansarul Islam – normally based in the north – or ISIS in the Greater Sahel, the group behind a deadly ambush on US soldiers in western Niger in October 2017.
But the violence has prompted two of Burkina Faso's neighbours to the south, Togo and Benin, to start moving troops to their northern borders, according to a French diplomatic source.
And on the eve of Mr Le Drian's visit, defence and foreign ministers from Togo, Benin and Niger met their Burkinabe counterparts in Ouagadougou to discuss security strategy and co-operation – for the first time in recent memory.
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Adding to the unease, President Roch Marc Christian Kabore has refused to address the surge in attacks, declining to appear alongside Mr Le Drian for a press briefing after their meeting last week.
Few people believe his claim that partisans of former president Blaise Compaore are at work, trying to destabilise his government.
"People are scared," said a local journalist in Ouagadougou who asked not to be quoted by name, calling Mr Kabore's silence "an admission of weakness".
"He can't do anything – he doesn't have the resources," the senior diplomatic source added.
"We'll see how they are going to respond, what they're going to ask of us," he said, noting a planned visit by Mr Kabore to Paris in December.
His government has recently taken the notable step of calling on France's Barkhane anti-terror force in the Sahel for air strikes and other assistance, after refusing for years to seek help from Paris.
For now, no Barkhane troops are stationed in Burkina Faso, where the focus has been on training an army which was severely curtailed after the 2014 removal of Mr Compaore, who used elite forces as his personal militia.
Mr Kabore remains wary of giving too much power to his own army, in a country which has suffered several attempted or successful coups, notably the 2015 uprising staged by members of Mr Compaore's former presidential guard.
In the meantime, Mr Le Drian announced during his trip a €30 million (Dh124.9m) "Three Borders" aid package for Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger to help spur development, considered essential for easing the conditions that have allowed the Islamist insurgencies to thrive.
Poverty remains endemic in Burkina Faso, and about half of its population of some 20 million people are younger than 17 years old.
But officials admit that even projects as simple as digging wells were not possible given the security risks, which are heightening a sense that entire areas of the country are being abandoned by Ouagadougou.
"We're going to have to stand together," Foreign Minister Alpha Barry said of the risks of attacks as he and Mr Le Drian inaugurated an education and start-up hub in the capital on Friday.
The%20Boy%20and%20the%20Heron
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Thank You for Banking with Us
Director: Laila Abbas
Starring: Yasmine Al Massri, Clara Khoury, Kamel El Basha, Ashraf Barhoum
Rating: 4/5
PAKISTAN SQUAD
Abid Ali, Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Shan Masood, Azhar Ali (test captain), Babar Azam (T20 captain), Asad Shafiq, Fawad Alam, Haider Ali, Iftikhar Ahmad, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Hafeez, Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), Sarfaraz Ahmed (wicketkeeper), Faheem Ashraf, Haris Rauf, Imran Khan, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Hasnain, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Afridi, Sohail Khan, Usman Shinwari, Wahab Riaz, Imad Wasim, Kashif Bhatti, Shadab Khan and Yasir Shah.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
Nayanthara: Beyond The Fairy Tale
Starring: Nayanthara, Vignesh Shivan, Radhika Sarathkumar, Nagarjuna Akkineni
Director: Amith Krishnan
Rating: 3.5/5
The five pillars of Islam
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
Company%20Profile
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MATCH INFO
Europa League semi-final, second leg
Atletico Madrid (1) v Arsenal (1)
Where: Wanda Metropolitano
When: Thursday, May 3
Live: On BeIN Sports HD
Wicked
Director: Jon M Chu
Stars: Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey
If you go…
Emirates launched a new daily service to Mexico City this week, flying via Barcelona from Dh3,995.
Emirati citizens are among 67 nationalities who do not require a visa to Mexico. Entry is granted on arrival for stays of up to 180 days.
Our legal consultants
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Generational responses to the pandemic
Devesh Mamtani from Century Financial believes the cash-hoarding tendency of each generation is influenced by what stage of the employment cycle they are in. He offers the following insights:
Baby boomers (those born before 1964): Owing to market uncertainty and the need to survive amid competition, many in this generation are looking for options to hoard more cash and increase their overall savings/investments towards risk-free assets.
Generation X (born between 1965 and 1980): Gen X is currently in its prime working years. With their personal and family finances taking a hit, Generation X is looking at multiple options, including taking out short-term loan facilities with competitive interest rates instead of dipping into their savings account.
Millennials (born between 1981 and 1996): This market situation is giving them a valuable lesson about investing early. Many millennials who had previously not saved or invested are looking to start doing so now.
Cricket World Cup League 2
UAE squad
Rahul Chopra (captain), Aayan Afzal Khan, Ali Naseer, Aryansh Sharma, Basil Hameed, Dhruv Parashar, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Waseem, Omid Rahman, Rahul Bhatia, Tanish Suri, Vishnu Sukumaran, Vriitya Aravind
Fixtures
Friday, November 1 – Oman v UAE
Sunday, November 3 – UAE v Netherlands
Thursday, November 7 – UAE v Oman
Saturday, November 9 – Netherlands v UAE
Martin Sabbagh profile
Job: CEO JCDecaux Middle East
In the role: Since January 2015
Lives: In the UAE
Background: M&A, investment banking
Studied: Corporate finance
Electoral College Victory
Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate.
Popular Vote Tally
The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
From Zero
Artist: Linkin Park
Label: Warner Records
Number of tracks: 11
Rating: 4/5
The specs
Engine: Long-range single or dual motor with 200kW or 400kW battery
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Max touring range: 620km / 590km
Price: From Dh250,000 (estimated)
APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)
Display: 21cm Liquid Retina Display, 2266 x 1488, 326ppi, 500 nits
Chip: Apple A17 Pro, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine
Storage: 128/256/512GB
Main camera: 12MP wide, f/1.8, digital zoom up to 5x, Smart HDR 4
Front camera: 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.4, Smart HDR 4, full-HD @ 25/30/60fps
Biometrics: Touch ID, Face ID
Colours: Blue, purple, space grey, starlight
In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter
Price: From Dh2,099
Company%20Profile
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If you go
The flights
The closest international airport for those travelling from the UAE is Denver, Colorado. British Airways (www.ba.com) flies from the UAE via London from Dh3,700 return, including taxes. From there, transfers can be arranged to the ranch or it’s a seven-hour drive. Alternatively, take an internal flight to the counties of Cody, Casper, or Billings
The stay
Red Reflet offers a series of packages, with prices varying depending on season. All meals and activities are included, with prices starting from US$2,218 (Dh7,150) per person for a minimum stay of three nights, including taxes. For more information, visit red-reflet-ranch.net.
Kanguva
Director: Siva
Stars: Suriya, Bobby Deol, Disha Patani, Yogi Babu, Redin Kingsley
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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Libya's Gold
UN Panel of Experts found regime secretly sold a fifth of the country's gold reserves.
The panel’s 2017 report followed a trail to West Africa where large sums of cash and gold were hidden by Abdullah Al Senussi, Qaddafi’s former intelligence chief, in 2011.
Cases filled with cash that was said to amount to $560m in 100 dollar notes, that was kept by a group of Libyans in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
A second stash was said to have been held in Accra, Ghana, inside boxes at the local offices of an international human rights organisation based in France.
Business Insights
- As per the document, there are six filing options, including choosing to report on a realisation basis and transitional rules for pre-tax period gains or losses.
- SMEs with revenue below Dh3 million per annum can opt for transitional relief until 2026, treating them as having no taxable income.
- Larger entities have specific provisions for asset and liability movements, business restructuring, and handling foreign permanent establishments.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Disclaimer
Director: Alfonso Cuaron
Stars: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Kline, Lesley Manville
Rating: 4/5