Burkina Faso’s military leader, Captain Ibrahim Traore has dismissed the country’s prime minister, Apollinaire Joachim Kyelem de Tambela and sacked the government.
The sacked prime minister had led three consecutive governments, surviving multiple reshuffles. The decree simply stated, “The prime minister’s official functions are terminated,” and confirmed that members of the dissolved government would “carry out ongoing business until the formation of a new government.”
No specific reason was provided for Tambela’s dismissal. He was appointed prime minister in October 2022 following the coup that brought Traore to power.
Burkina Faso has experienced significant instability since a January 2022 coup, when Lieutenant-Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba overthrew the government. Just eight months later, Damiba himself was ousted by Traore, who now leads the junta. Damiba, who had removed elected President Roch Marc Christian Kabore, is currently exiled in Togo.
The junta, which has been vocal about reclaiming national sovereignty, has increasingly distanced itself from Western powers. Burkina Faso has joined forces with Mali and Niger, both of which are also led by military juntas following coups since 2020. Together, the three nations formed the Alliance of Sahel States in September 2023, severing ties with former colonial power France and turning towards Russia.
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Relations with France have deteriorated following the 2022 coup, with Burkina Faso’s Foreign Minister Karamoko Jean-Marie Traore stating last month that cooperation with Russia “better suited” the country than its historical ties with France.
In January 2024, Burkina Faso, along with Mali and Niger, announced their withdrawal from the Economic Community of West African States accusing the organization of being manipulated by Paris. The three nations are grappling with jihadist violence that has plagued the region since 2012, displacing around two million people in Burkina Faso alone and causing more than 26,000 deaths, including both soldiers and civilians.
In response to the growing threat of Islamist violence, Russia has sent military instructors to assist Burkina Faso, as well as several other African countries, in their fight against the insurgency.
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