Burkina Faso Removes ECOWAS Logo In New Passport Issued
West African country, Burkina Faso, has launched a new redesigned passport that excludes the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) logo previously on it.
Burkina Faso’s security minister, Mahamadou Sana, announced this on Thursday.
The news comes as no surprise seeing as the nation has strained relations with ECOWAS after the bloc imposed sanctions on it in wake of the coup late last year.
Sana noted that Burkina Faso has “withdrawn” from ECOWAS.
“On this passport, there’s no ECOWAS logo and no mention of ECOWAS either. Since January, Burkina Faso has decided to withdraw from this body, and this is just a realisation of the action already taken by Burkina Faso,” Sana said.
Sana has stated that old passports would still be in use until their expiration.
He noted that the passport will attract the original fixed fee of 50,000 West African CFA francs ($84.46), though, “certain amenities around the new passport may be subject to taxes.”
The Head of the National Identification Office (ONI), Parfait Loure, further explained that the new document designed by Chinese company, Emptech, is made from polycarbonate.
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“The new passport belongs to the latest generation of passports recommended by international civil aviation authorities,” Loure said.
Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger are the countries who withdrew from ECOWAS in 2023 after coups in their states.
In the wake of threats by ECOWAS to invade the nations and unseat the coupists, the three nations teamed up to form the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), as well as create a joint military force to ward off any potential ECOWAS military intervention and tackle terrorists groups within their country.
While only suspensions have been imposed on the three nations, they have voiced out against the ECOWAS for being “selfish” in their approach and not having the best interest of Africa in its decisions.
Burkina Faso is now ruled by Captain Ibrahim Traore, who replaced the ousted Paul-Henri Damiba in the country’s second ever coup.
