In 2008 UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and the AU Chairperson appointed as Joint AU-UN Chief Mediator for Darfur peace negotiations Djibril Yipènè Bassolé; Bassolé has now been imprisoned for his role in a coup attempt in Burkina Faso. His commitment to democracy is revealed as rather suspect.
UNAMID PRESS RELEASE (June 30, 2008)
Djibril Yipènè Bassolé appointed as Joint AU-UN Chief Mediator for Darfur
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the African Union Chairperson have appointed Mr. Djibril Yipènè Bassolé of Burkina Faso as Joint AU-UN Chief Mediator for Darfur. Mr. Bassolé will conduct the mediation efforts in Sudan on a full-time basis. He will be based in El Fasher. UN and AU Special Envoys for Darfur, Jan Eliasson and Salim Ahmed Salim, will remain available for advice and engagement as required.
Mr. Djibril Yipènè Bassolé, who is 51 years old, comes to this position with extensive experience in multilateral diplomacy and mediation processes. Since 2007, Mr. Bassolé has been serving as his country’s Foreign Minister. Between 2000 and 2007, he was Minister of Security and played a key role in facilitating the Ouagadougou Agreement of 2007 signed between President Laurent Gbagbo of Côte d’Ivoire and Forces Nouvelles leader (now Prime Minister) Guillaume Soro.
[Bassolé served in this critical role from 2008 to 2011]
Joint AU-UN Chief Mediator for Darfur peace negotiations Djibril Yipènè Bassolé and Qatari State Minister for Foreign Affairs Ahmed bin Abdullah al-Mahmud; Qatar provide the diplomatic auspices for the disastrous “Doha Document for Peace in Darfur,” even as Bassolé led the way for the UN and African Union.
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Burkina Faso issues arrest warrant for Ivory Coast speaker
BBC, January 15, 2015 | http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-35325326
Burkina Faso has issued an international arrest warrant for Guillaume Soro, Ivory Coast’s speaker of parliament. The warrant concerns his alleged role in a coup attempt in Burkina Faso in September, which sparked deadly street protests…
Authorities listened to phone recordings linking Mr Soro to the coup, Reuters news agency says. Mr Soro has always denied that his was the voice on the tape. The speaker is an ally of Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara.
Mr Soro and the armed rebel group he led—the New Forces—played a key role in Ivory Coast’s 2011 civil war. “I confirm that the warrant was issued at the beginning of the week,” a military source told Reuters. Former Burkina Faso Prime Minister Isaac Zida previously confirmed that Mr Soro’s voice was heard in a recording advising former Burkinabe foreign affairs minister Djibril Bassolé on how to be successful in a coup.