Burkina Faso ends Gates-backed Target Malaria project
Burkina Faso’s military junta has suspended the Target Malaria initiative aimed at combating malaria through the release of genetically modified mosquitoes according to the Moroccan government-friendly outlet North Africa Post via Bloomberg on August 25th.
Target Malaria was a projected funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, launched in 2012 and led by Imperial College London. The initiative aimed to limit the reproduction of malaria-carrying female mosquitoes via genetically engineered male mosquitoes.
On August 22nd the Ministry of Higher Education and Research announced the ceasing of all activities and ordered the destruction of remaining mosquito samples, as well as sealing all project facilities.
It is not the only recent intervention by the Burkinabe military government attempting to remove international influence, with the expulsion of a UN official over a child abuse report highlighting the anti-western mindset of government leader Captain Ibrahim Traore.
However, Target Malaria had attracted some criticism from civil society groups within the country, with the Coalition for Monitoring Biotechnological Activities in Burkina Faso warning of ecological risks and ethical concerns.
In addition, activists have raised concerns about foreign influence from western-backed initiatives like Target Malaria, delineating these actions as scientific neo-colonialism.
Worries about colonial influence and western superiority have been a recurring theme during Ibrahim Traore’s reign, with the seemingly popular pan-African leader pivoting away from the West by recently deepening ties with Afghanistan’s Taliban regime and cementing military ties with Moscow.
Since taking power in 2022, the Traore administration has revoked licenses for foreign-funded NGOs in an attempt to strengthen national sovereignty.
Ali Tapsoba, a leader of a coalition against the Target Malaria project argued the “technology is highly controversial, unpredictable, and raises ethical concerns.”
He added “the impacts of gene-drive organisms on health and ecosystems remain unknown and potentially irreversible.”
Despite Target Malaria’s adamance that it has complied with the legal frameworks in Burkina Faso, the desire of Traore’s government to remove perceived colonial structures has won this battle.
North Africa Post via Bloomberg, Maghrebi.org
Want to chase the pulse of North Africa?
Subscribe to receive our FREE weekly PDF magazine
