r/technology • u/lurker_bee • 23h ago

Biotechnology Burkina Faso says no to Bill Gates’ plan of creating modified species of mosquitoes

https://africa.businessinsider.com/local/lifestyle/burkina-faso-says-no-to-bill-gates-plan-of-creating-modified-species-of-mosquitoes/xyk7xm8
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u/Nachooolo 20h ago edited 20h ago

More mixed. The French there were not as an occupation force, but to help the Burkina Faso goverment with the insurgency.

Of course, they were also there to impose French neo-colonial interest. But they were far better at fighting the jihadists than the Russians.

And the Russians aren't there pro bono either. So they replaced a neo-colonial power that was good at fighting the insurgency with another neo-colonial power that is bad at fighting the insurgency.

And, alongside this. This change happened because a coup changed a semi-democratic, corrupt government to a corrupt military dictatorship.*

*Edit: The coup that dissolved the goverment was done by Damiba. Traore did another coup months afterwards and replaced Damiba as the dictator.

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u/Moifaso 17h ago

Of course, they were also there to impose French neo-colonial interest.

In this case, the "neocolonial interest" was "we would like to not have ex colonies fall to jihadists and flood us with refugees"

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u/EconomicRegret 12h ago

No. France and its corporations have tons of economic/business interests and investments in Burkina Faso, in the Sahel, and West Africa in general, e.g. mining (gold, uranium, etc.), banking, agriculture,, industry, etc. And these terrorists are threatening their interests.

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u/Moifaso 11h ago edited 11h ago

Trade between BK and France is in the few hundreds of millions. That's a drop in the bucket. Like all the Sahel countries it's a desperately poor place with very few productive sectors. France doesn't even have that big a stake in the big industries - almost all foreign owned mining is British, Canadian, Australian, or Chinese owned.

https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/burkina-faso-completes-nationalisation-five-gold-mining-assets-2025-06-12/

Bottom line is that economic links do exist, but they're minor when compared to the cost of aid and a military intervention. BK and the other Sahel states are landlocked, very poor, and mostly trade with neighbors. Their value to France (and the value of their security) comes from cultural/diaspora connections, and from the significant number of French citizens live or have family there.

We're talking about countries with already very significant migrant/refugee flows to France. If a 2013 ISIS situation were to unfold in the Sahel, France would really feel it. That's the big concern, not the .3% of France's trade that passes through the region.

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u/Chucknastical 1h ago

is in the few hundreds of millions

I don't know squat about the area but just want to point out trade between France and its former colonies is not the point. It's who owns the capital.

Burkina Faso may trade with countries other than France but it's possible French nationals and interests ultimately control the capital behind those industries.

It all winds up in offshore accounts anyway so it's not like it would show up in France's GDP numbers. Doesn't mean a French billionaire isn't living off the countries resources.

Case in point, what Wagner and Putin are doing there now.

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u/EconomicRegret 11h ago

No. France and its corporations have tons of economic/business interests and investments in Burkina Faso, in the Sahel, and West Africa in general

If Burkina Faso fell in the hands of terrorists, also France's interest would be threatened, all over west Africa and in the Sahel.

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u/Moifaso 11h ago

If Burkina Faso fell in the hands of terrorists, also France's interest would be threatened, all over west Africa and in the Sahel.

You're just repeating yourself. I'm saying the region isn't particularly relevant to France in terms of trade volume or capital flows.

Certainly not enough to justify billions a year in military assistance and aid on purely economic grounds.

Again, these are some of the poorest countries in the world. They are resource rich but even those existing resource operations are small in scope - and again, mostly owned by other countries.

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u/EconomicRegret 10h ago

Sure, that's why France was all over it. Just out of the goodness of its heart. And that's why Russia stole it away. Because it too wants to give aid and military help for free and do good.

Do you also believe colonialism was all about saving indigenous people's souls through Jesus and prayer, and also about the civilizing mission to uplift the indigenous people? And that slavery was actually good for them?

LMAO.

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u/Moifaso 6h ago

This kind of false cynicism just needs to stop lol. It's not "out of the goodness of their hearts" just because it's not the most stereotypical colonial motivation you can imagine. A dude with "Economic" in his name ought to now that not everything is zero sum.

France has a vested interest in not being flooded with refugees, having jihadists abroad radicalize diaspora in France, and having citizens killed and oppressed abroad. It's generally in everyone's best interest to not have your neighborhood taken over by Al Qaeda.

Do you also believe colonialism was all about saving indigenous people's souls through Jesus and prayer, and also about the civilizing mission to uplift the indigenous people? And that slavery was actually good for them?

Like I said, you're just following stereotypes here instead of practicing any sort of critical thought.

Try to substantiate your claims beyond saying "economic connections exist" and "colonialism happened and it was bad". I can easily show you proof that Wagner was getting paid directly with cash and with mines and mineral rights for their Sahel operations. With France the money was quite clearly flowing the other way.

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u/FIuffyAlpaca 58m ago

Lol someone drank the Russian propaganda

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u/TransBrandi 18h ago

So it's basically a Far Cry 4 type situation. (Everyone sucks, just some suck a bit less than others)

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u/dionysus2523 17h ago

No, an imperfect situation was made measurably and demonstrably worse.

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u/TransBrandi 14h ago

I mean, that sort of is the point of Far Cry 4? The dictator at the beginning is probably the lesser of the other evils.

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u/Swahhillie 13h ago

Didn't play fc4 but I don't think France is a good match to the dictator in that. France wasn't the lesser evil there. That's the BF government itself.

Troare swapped competent, enlightened self interest for incompetent, myopic greed. Why? Because populism is playing politics on easy mode.