Target Malaria plans in their timeline that they have to first to five years of testing with those sterile mosquitos before they will afterwards release the gene drive mosquitos in Burkina Faso.
Their timeline seems to be the result of consultation with local government.
But has anyone asked a local government?
https://www.stop-genedrives.eu/interview-mit-ali-tapsoba/ suggest that local opposition in Burkina Faso stopped them from releasing GMO mosquitos where the males are sterline without a gene drive in 2020 which Target Malaria later managed to do in 2021.
Target Malaria plans in their timeline that they have to first to five years of testing with those sterile mosquitos before they will afterwards release the gene drive mosquitos in Burkina Faso.
Their timeline seems to be the result of consultation with local government.