The Movement for People's Progress, the party of ousted president Roch Marc Christian Kaboré. Alassane Bala Sakandé, former president of the National Assembly was detained yesterday morning, Sunday, by the gendarmerie of Ouagadougou….

According to his lawyers as reported by Wakat Sera, « Alassane Bala Sakandé is accused of comments made during the MPP press conference last Thursday. He notably called for the immediate and unconditional release of the former Burkinabe head of state ».

« Alassane Bala Sakandé, continues Wakat Sera, also mentioned the fact that not all military officers were behind the coup d'état. » The news site recalls that « Lieutenant Colonel Damiba had warned against any form of political activism that could hinder the progress of the transition. »

The leader of the Movement for People's Progress was ultimately released and no charges were filed against him.

End of national dialogue in Central African Republic with no real concrete progress

After a week of debate, without armed groups or the opposition… President Touadéra therefore closed the discussions in the chambers of the National Assembly in Bangui.

Sometimes contentious debates, notably when representatives of civil society threatened to withdraw when a constitutional amendment to allow the head of state to run for a third term was raised, before ultimately being removed.

Le Potentiel Centrafricain quotes the words of the Central African president: « The main issue is to know what we must do so that the Central African Republic, our country, becomes a haven of peace again, respected on the international level, a country where work is the only means of social advancement and not violence, emphasized President Faustin Archange Touadéra. »

600 recommendations were formulated. But already experts and the opposition assert that no measure seems ready to be implemented.

Recap this morning of the ECOWAS summit Friday in Accra

As a reminder, the West African community chose to maintain pressure on the junta in power in Mali since sanctions remain in place for now. ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States) which also threatened Burkina and Guinea with sanctions…

Indeed, regarding Burkina, L'Observateur Paalga wonders what Lieutenant Colonel Paul Henri Sandaogo Damiba will do « while authorities are being asked to reduce the transition period to a reasonable timeframe and to present by April 25, an "acceptable timetable" on pain of "economic and financial" sanctions ».

« A small thunderbolt in a relatively clear Burkinabe sky, analyzes L'Observateur Paalga, insofar as everything seemed to indicate that the sub-regional organization was particularly benevolent toward the Burkinabe putschists. For the newspaper, Lieutenant Colonel Damiba has two options: to engage in an arm's wrestle à la Goïta (reference to Mali) or to take part in a negotiation logic to find common ground ».

« One can reasonably think that he will opt for the second possibility, if only to spare Burkinabes from heavy sanctions under which their Malian neighbor is already struggling and, personally, to avoid ruining the relative capital of goodwill that the country enjoys with ECOWAS ».

A historic event in cycling…

For the first time, a cyclist from sub-Saharan Africa wins a cycling classic. At age 21, Eritrean Biniam Girmay makes history, rejoices Le Point Afrique.

He won yesterday's Belgian classic Gand-Wevelgem. Biniam Girmay launched the final sprint when he was in 4th position and thus overtook Frenchman Christophe Laporte. « It's just incredible, I couldn't have hoped for so much! » exclaimed the young rider from the Intermarché team, which he joined last spring after starting his professional career in 2020.

Biniam Girmay, a worthy representative of cycling on the rise, symbolized, reminds us Le Point Afrique, by the organization of the Road World Championships in 2025 in Rwanda.