Sahel state snubs regional bloc with passport move

Burkina Faso has issued new biometric passports that do not feature the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) logo on their covers amid a dispute with the 50-year-old regional political and economic union. In January, Burkina Faso’s military government joined Mali and Niger in withdrawing from ECOWAS over harsh sanctions. According to Perfect Loure, director-general of the landlocked state’s National Identification Office, the travel documents were designed by Chinese company EmpTech.