Burkina Faso’s military leader, Captain Ibrahim Traore, has dismissed the country’s prime minister, Apollinaire Joachim Kyelem de Tambela, and dissolved the government, according to a decree issued on Friday.
The prime minister, who had served in three consecutive governments, was removed without explanation.
The decree stated that the prime minister’s functions were officially terminated, and the members of the dissolved government would continue managing ongoing matters until a new government is formed.
Tambela had been appointed as prime minister in October 2022 following the coup that brought Traore to power.
Burkina Faso has experienced significant political turmoil since a coup in January 2022, when Lieutenant-Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba ousted the democratically elected president, Roch Marc Christian Kabore.
However, just eight months later, Damiba was overthrown by Traore, who is now leading the country’s junta. Damiba is currently exiled in neighboring Togo.
The junta has made restoring national sovereignty a key priority, and it has been critical of Western influence, particularly from former colonial power France.
Burkina Faso, along with Mali and Niger, has pivoted toward Russia, severing ties with France and joining forces under the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) in September 2023.
The three countries, all led by military juntas, have also distanced themselves from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), accusing the organization of being manipulated by Paris.
The Sahel region, where Burkina Faso is located, has been grappling with escalating jihadist violence that began in northern Mali in 2012 and spread to neighboring countries, including Burkina Faso and Niger.
In Burkina Faso, the conflict has displaced around two million people and resulted in more than 26,000 deaths since 2015, including both civilians and military personnel, according to the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED).
Moscow has been sending military instructors to Burkina Faso, along with other African nations, to assist in the fight against Islamist insurgents.
