Following demonstrations denouncing its inability to tackle jihadist attacks, the government of Burkina Faso has resigned.
The Prime Minister of Burkina Faso, Christophe Joseph-Marie Dabiré presented a letter of resignation to the president, Roch Marc Christian Kaboré, who accepted it.
According to Burkinabe law, the resignation of a prime minister indicates the end of an administration.
In a public television, the secretary-general of the government, Stéphane Sanou, while announcing Dabiré’s resignation, read a presidential declaration that said “The functions of Prime Minister of Mr. Dabiré are terminated”.
“The members of the outgoing government ensure the dispatch of the current affairs of the ministerial departments until the formation of a new government,” said Sanou.
In a Facebook post, Dabiré said “I invite the Burkinabés, as a whole, to mobilize, to support the president of Faso and the new executive that will be put in place. I remain convinced that it is through unity of action that we will be able to meet the challenges facing our country and our people”.
It would be recalled that for several weeks, Burkinabes expressed anger over the inability of the government to tackle rising security issues in the West African country.
Recall that on November 9, the opposition gave the incumbent a month ultimatum to take “urgent measures” in the face of “the deterioration of the security situation”.
It can also be recalled that on November 27, hundreds of demonstrators descended on the capital, Ouagadougou, to denounce the “inability” of the government to counter the jihadist violence that is hitting the country. On their part, civil society organisations also demanded the departure of the Head of State. It was gathered that about ten people, including a child and two journalists, were injured in the dispersal of these steps.
Local reports have it that on November 14, the country saw one of the deadliest attacks against its security force – gendarmerie detachment in Inata (north). Reports said at least 57 people, including 53 gendarmes, were killed by armed jihadists.
It should be noted that since 2015, Burkina Faso has been faced with crises attributed to jihadist armed groups, affiliated with Al-Qaida and the Islamic State organization.
The attacks, which target civilians and soldiers, are increasingly frequent and the vast majority are concentrated in the north and east of the country. They have left around 2,000 dead and 1.4 million displaced, reports said.
