African countries are opening their borders. What does this mean for security, identity and trade?
On July 10, authorities from Niger and Burkina Faso signed an accord to ease interstate cooperation on issues of counterterrorism, economic development and natural resource management.
“There will be a border but we will act as though there really isn’t one,” explained Burkinabè diplomat Alpha Barry.
It’s a significant step between two countries with a history of disputed borderlands. In 2010, Nigerien and Burkinabè delegates asked the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to settle a decades-old territorial dispute. The ICJ’s 2013 ruling delimited a new international boundary between Niger and Burkina Faso to replace the vague line on French colonial maps.… Seguir leyendo »