Burkina Faso Junta Leader Dissolves Government and Dismisses Prime Minister
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 presidential decree obtained by AFP on Friday. The reasons for the dismissal were not specified.
Kyelem de Tambela, who had served as prime minister since October 2022, had previously held leadership roles in three successive governments, surviving multiple reshuffles. The decree stated that the prime minister’s duties were officially terminated and that members of the dissolved government would continue managing ongoing affairs until a new government is formed.
Burkina Faso has faced political instability since a January 2022 coup, when Lieutenant-Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba seized power. However, less than a year later, Damiba was ousted by Captain Traore, who now leads the military junta. Damiba, who had overthrown elected President Roch Marc Christian Kabore, is currently in exile in neighboring Togo.
In recent months, the junta has focused on regaining national sovereignty and has frequently criticized Western powers. Burkina Faso, along with Mali and Niger, all led by military juntas following a series of coups since 2020, formed the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) in September. These nations have distanced themselves from former colonial power France and are increasingly turning to Russia for support. Moscow has sent military instructors to the region to assist in combating Islamist insurgencies.
