The Burkinabe authorities are sounding the alarm. In a communiqué dated November 11, 2026, and signed in Ouagadougou, the governments of the member countries of the Confederation of Sahel States (AES) are calling on citizens to exercise caution in the face of the proliferation of fundraising drives organized in their name. A message that concerns Burkinabè citizens first and foremost, who are urged both to be vigilant and to strictly follow official procedures.
The observation is simple: associations, groups, and individuals are increasingly mobilizing to finance confederal projects. The governments welcome this civic engagement, seeing in it proof of the Sahelian populations’ desire to build a strong, sovereign, and prosperous common space.
But this momentum, however laudable, opens the door to abuses. Hence the need, the text stresses, to regulate these operations to guarantee their traceability and security.
In practice, organizers of fundraising drives are now invited to contact the National Committees or Commissions of the AES to obtain the required prior authorizations. In Burkina Faso, this process goes through the competent national structures, which alone are authorized to validate this type of initiative.
The objective is clear: to prevent citizens’ generosity from being diverted or squandered, and to ensure that funds intended for collective projects do not end up in unauthorized hands.
The communiqué also warns citizens of the Confederation, the Sahelian and African diasporas, and all supporters of the AES against attempts at fraudulent fundraising. The authorities urge people not to make any financial contribution to individuals or structures lacking official authorization, and call for any suspicious initiative carried out in the name of the Confederation to be reported to the competent authorities.
For Burkinabè citizens, the instruction is therefore twofold. On the one hand, to continue supporting confederal projects, because popular engagement remains a pillar of building the AES. On the other, to show vigilance and demand proof of official authorization before any payment.
In a context where Sahelian solidarity is heavily solicited, this reminder is not a brake on civic momentum: it is a guarantee that every franc collected truly serves the construction of a strong, sovereign, and prosperous confederal space.
Papa IBRAHIMA
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