Burkina Faso

IF YOU GO GETTING THERE Ethiopian Air offers connecting flights from Washington Dulles to Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. The city's aging corps of green Peugeot taxis is the easiest way to get around. A ride across town will rarely cost more than about $4. A five-year, multiple-entry visa is available for $100 from the Embassy of Burkina Faso in Washington or the country's U.N. mission in New York. Travelers are also required to show a current and valid International Certificate of Health indicating that their yellow fever vaccination is...

OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso — The Tuareg rebel group occupying a part of northern Mali says it is ready to accept a proposed agreement with the government, a positive sign that could remove the main obstacle to the planned presidential election this summer. Moussa Ag Attaher, a spokesman for the National Movement for the Liberation of the Azawad, or NMLA, said Wednesday in Burkina Faso where the negotiations are being held, that his group was ready to validate the agreement "in the interest of peace.

OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso -- He came at us like a hound chasing a squirrel. "No! No!" he shouted, waving his arms and his laminated government ID card at us. As it turned out, he was the bureaucrat in charge of this street, the deputy assistant associate section head of something or other. The Man. Let's call him Mr. X, since his name isn't the point. What Mr. X represents is universal -- he's every stubborn clerk at the DMV, every merciless parking ticket warden, every insurance company "customer service" agent who wakes up each...

IF YOU GO GETTING THERE Ethiopian Air offers connecting flights from Washington Dulles to Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. The city's aging corps of green Peugeot taxis is the easiest way to get around. A ride across town will rarely cost more than about $4. A five-year, multiple-entry visa is available for $100 from the Embassy of Burkina Faso in Washington or the country's U.N. mission in New York. Travelers are also required to show a current and valid International Certificate of Health indicating that their yellow fever vaccination is...

OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso — The U.S. military is expanding its secret intelligence operations across Africa, establishing a network of small air bases to spy on terrorist hideouts from the fringes of the Sahara to jungle terrain along the equator, according to documents and people involved in the project. At the heart of the surveillance operations are small, unarmed turboprop aircraft disguised as private planes. Equipped with hidden sensors that can record full-motion video, track infrared heat patterns, and vacuum up...

At a farewell party for a French couple one night in Ouagadougou, the impeccably named capital of Burkina Faso, I asked some friends about the situation in the north. They laughed nervously. Hadn't I heard? The government had evacuated all the expats some months before — had supposedly rounded them up in the dead of night, after rumors spread of an alleged plot targeting foreign nationals. Since neighboring Mali began to unravel, everything in Burkina Faso had changed. You couldn't travel more than 60 miles north of...

OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso — The Tuareg rebel group occupying a part of northern Mali says it is ready to accept a proposed agreement with the government, a positive sign that could remove the main obstacle to the planned presidential election this summer. Moussa Ag Attaher, a spokesman for the National Movement for the Liberation of the Azawad, or NMLA, said Wednesday in Burkina Faso where the negotiations are being held, that his group was ready to validate the agreement "in...

The United States has dispatched about 100 military trainers to six nations that will contribute troops to a pan-African force being prepared for deployment to Mali, the State Department said Friday. The initial U.S. trainers will "discuss training and equipping and deployment needs of those countries in the interest of getting them ready to go into Mali," spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said. The training mission in Niger, Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Senegal, Togo and Ghana is the largest U.S. involvement to date in...

VDOT plans public hearing on Sycolin Overpass design Virginia Department of Transportation officials will host a public hearing to discuss the design of the Sycolin Road Overpass from 6 to 8 p.m. next Thursday. The hearing will be in the lower level of Leesburg Town Hall, 25 W. Market St. The plan is to build an overpass to carry Sycolin Road over the Route 7/15 bypass and remove the current intersection and traffic signals. The new bridge would include two northbound and two southbound lanes, a sidewalk along the southbound...

Kristen Karinshak was a sophomore at Heritage High School four years ago when author Sobonfu Somé spoke at the school and explained that in some areas of Burkina Faso, her home country, people had to walk several hours to reach the nearest source of water. Her talk inspired Karinshak to organize Walking for Water, a walk at Morven Park in Leesburg to raise money to build wells in the West African nation. Heritage students have carried on the tradition, and nearly 300 people participated Saturday morning in the fifth annual Walking...

At a farewell party for a French couple one night in Ouagadougou, the impeccably named capital of Burkina Faso, I asked some friends about the situation in the north. They laughed nervously. Hadn't I heard? The government had evacuated all the expats some months before — had supposedly rounded them up in the dead of night, after rumors spread of an alleged plot targeting foreign nationals. Since neighboring Mali began to unravel, everything in Burkina Faso had changed. You couldn't travel more than 60 miles north of Ouagadougou without...

The United States has dispatched about 100 military trainers to six nations that will contribute troops to a pan-African force being prepared for deployment to Mali, the State Department said Friday. The initial U.S. trainers will "discuss training and equipping and deployment needs of those countries in the interest of getting them ready to go into Mali," spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said. The training mission in Niger, Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Senegal, Togo and Ghana is the largest U.S. involvement to date...

What went wrong with the counterterrorism efforts the State and Defense departments ran in Mali for 10 years? French troops are moving against Islamist fighters who've traveled south from northern Mali. The White House or Congress, or both, should examine why the U.S. programs targeting the groups failed. It's worth understanding, since the United States is trying similar efforts in other nations. In November 2002, the State Department announced that officials from its Office of...

Susan Svrluga's profile of African immigrant Jean Kabre ["First, a friend. Then, a cause," front page, Nov. 27] was a revealing tale of humanity and solidarity at their best. What Mr. Kabre and the generous folks at 101 Constitution Ave. in Washington are doing to help Mr. Kabre's impoverished village in Burkina Faso is quite remarkable. Their acts of kindness testify to the fact that as long as there is goodwill, there is always hope for those who live in the most forgotten corners of the world, desperate and...

Tawaye Yatara arrived at the sprawling refu­gee camp here on a recent day after trudging out of northern Mali through the blistering-hot desert. In her arms, she clutched her hungry child. In her heart, she carried anger at the hard-line Islamists who had driven her from her country. "First they ordered women to cover up. Then they ordered us not to enter the market," said Yatara, a food seller, her voice rising. "I could not make money to feed my child. This is against our traditions.

OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso — The U.S. military is expanding its secret intelligence operations across Africa, establishing a network of small air bases to spy on terrorist hideouts from the fringes of the Sahara to jungle terrain along the equator, according to documents and people involved in the project. At the heart of the surveillance operations are small, unarmed turboprop aircraft disguised as private planes. Equipped with hidden sensors that can record full-motion video, track infrared heat...

OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso After she woke in the dark to sweep city streets, after she walked an hour to buy less than $2 worth of food, after she cooked for two hours in the searing noon heat, Fanta Lingani served her family's only meal of the day. First she set out a bowl of corn mush, seasoned with tree leaves, dried fish and wood ashes, for the 11 smallest children, who tore into it with bare hands. Then she set out a bowl for her husband. Then two bowls for a dozen older children.

Susan Svrluga's profile of African immigrant Jean Kabre ["First, a friend. Then, a cause," front page, Nov. 27] was a revealing tale of humanity and solidarity at their best. What Mr. Kabre and the generous folks at 101 Constitution Ave. in Washington are doing to help Mr. Kabre's impoverished village in Burkina Faso is quite remarkable. Their acts of kindness testify to the fact that as long as there is goodwill, there is always hope for those who live in the most forgotten corners of the world, desperate...

VDOT plans public hearing on Sycolin Overpass design Virginia Department of Transportation officials will host a public hearing to discuss the design of the Sycolin Road Overpass from 6 to 8 p.m. next Thursday. The hearing will be in the lower level of Leesburg Town Hall, 25 W. Market St. The plan is to build an overpass to carry Sycolin Road over the Route 7/15 bypass and remove the current intersection and traffic signals. The new bridge would include two northbound and two southbound lanes, a sidewalk along the southbound lands and a...

Brazil qualified for its 19th consecutive World Cup, outplaying Argentina, 3-1, Saturday night in a match in Rosario, Argentina, that left its South American rival in a precarious position. Luisao put the five-time World Cup champions ahead in the 24th minute, and Luís Fabiano scored in the 30th and 67th. Jesús Dátolo got Argentina's goal in the 65th. Brazil (8-1-6) leads South American qualifying with 30 points, while Argentina (6-5-4) is fourth with 22 points with three matches remaining.