Prime Minister fired

Military junta in Burkina Faso dissolves government

Ibrahim Traoré (l.) with Abdourahamane Tiani(Bild: AFP )

The military junta in the West African country of Burkina Faso has removed the country's prime minister from office and dissolved the government, interim president Ibrahim Traoré announced by decree late on Friday evening. 

According to the decree, the ministers are to continue in their posts until a new government is formed. No reasons were given for the dismissal. Prime Minister Apollinaire Kyélem de Tambéla had held his post since October 2022.

The military junta that has ruled the Sahel state since a coup in 2022 is estimated to control almost half of the country's territory. As in the neighboring states of Mali and Niger, Islamist groups that have pledged allegiance to the terrorist militias Al-Qaeda and Islamic State are active in northern Burkina Faso. 

23 million inhabitants internally displaced
Burkina Faso has been repeatedly rocked by attacks since 2015, including in the border region with Mali and Niger. 2.06 million people out of a population of around 23 million were internally displaced in March 2023. There were also refugee movements in neighboring countries such as Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast).

• Several coups have shaken the country since 2014, most recently in autumn 2022, but the government under Ibrahim Traoré only controls parts of the country and violence and attacks - often with a jihadist background - are commonplace.
• Almost 40 percent of the country's inhabitants live below the poverty line, and 4.7 million needed humanitarian aid last year.
• More than 800,000 people live in areas controlled by armed groups. Gender-based violence against women and girls and education are another major problem.