Burkina Faso withdrew from ECOWAS due to the organization's neocolonialist views, the prime minister said at the meeting, according to his office.
"Before leaving ECOWAS, I said our countries existed before ECOWAS and can exist without it. We are observing the African Union, and if it behaves like ECOWAS, we will leave it, and even the UN is not excluded," he was quoted as saying.
He added that the people of Burkina Faso thrived before colonization without any ties to the West. Similarly, countries like Thailand and Ethiopia have never been colonized and are doing well. In contrast, it was the Westerners who entangled some nations in “inextricable labyrinths” to keep them perpetually suppressed.
According to Kyélem de Tambèla, nothing will stop Burkina Faso in its fight to preserve its territorial integrity and for its development.
"Since 1960, we have been talking about aid and have not progressed; we have not moved. Things need to be reconsidered. We speak of development aid, cooperation aid, and we haven't advanced since 1960. This form of aid needs to be questioned," he reportedly added.
Apart from that, Abdoulaye Mar Dieye, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres's Special Coordinator for Development in the Sahel, told the meeting that UN programs are aligned with the country's development strategies. He noted that three integrated programs were agreed upon during discussions with the Burkinabe government for scaling up.
"The first program, requested by the government, focuses on security, humanitarian issues, and development. The second addresses stabilization and investments in border and cross-border regions within the AES [Alliance of Sahel States] space. The third program pertains to the agricultural system," he explained.
The participant also raised the issue of misinformation during the talks. Mar Dieye urged both the UN and the AES to work together to combat disinformation.
Despite an overall positive assessment of UN activities in the country, the PM said he was surprised that the organization issued a statement accusing defense and security forces of abusing civilians while combating terrorism.
"Terrorists have been here since 2015, yet not once has the Secretary-General issued a statement of sympathy. How can an army established to protect our citizens turn against them?" he asked.
Burkina Faso, along with its neighbors Mali and Niger, has been plagued by terrorist activities. The ineffectiveness of ECOWAS in combating the threat was one of the reasons why the three states joined together to form the AES (and now the Confederation of Sahel States).