Burkina Faso junta extends military rule for another five years

Burkina Faso's ruling junta will remain in power for another five years under an accord adopted during national consultations on Saturday, delaying the transition back to democracy.

The decision was announced after the signing of a new charter following national talks in the capital Ouagadougou, on Saturday.

"The duration of the transition is fixed at 60 months from 2 July, 2024," Colonel Moussa Diallo, chairman of the organising committee of the national dialogue process, said after the talks.

Civil society representatives, security and defence forces and lawmakers in the transitional assembly took part in the talks, but they were boycotted by most political parties.

According to the charter, signed by acting president and military leader Ibrahim Traore, elections marking the end of the transition may be organised before the deadline "if the security situation so permits". 

It also allows Traore to run for president when the elections take place.

A 'new page' in history

The army has governed Burkina Faso since seizing power in a coup in 2022.

An initial charter installed Traore as president and put in place a government and a legislative assembly.

The duration of the transition to civilian rule was fixed at 21 months, with the deadline due to expire on 1 July, but the regime also said that security considerations would take priority.

Under the new charter, quotas will no longer be used to assign seats in the assembly to members of traditional parties. Instead, "patriotism" will be the only criteria for selecting deputies.

The new charter also calls for a new body called the "Korag" to "monitor and control the implementation of the country's strategic vision in all areas and through all means". Its composition and operations are at the discretion of the president.

"You have just rewritten a new page in the history of our country," said the Minister of Territorial Affairs, Emile Zerbo, who opened the meeting on Saturday morning.  

Alleged abuses against civilians

Violence in West Africa's Sahel region, fuelled by a decade-long fight with Islamist groups linked to al Qaeda and the Islamic State armed group, has worsened since respective armies seized power in Burkina Faso and neighbouring Mali and Niger.

Burkina Faso experienced a severe escalation of deadly attacks in 2023, with more than 8,000 people reportedly killed, according to US-based crisis-monitoring groupACLED.

Human rights groups have accused Burkina Faso's junta leaders of abuses against civilians during their military campaigns against jihadists, and of silencing media and opposition leaders. The junta has slammed the accusations as "baseless". 

After taking power, the coup leaders expelled French troops and diplomats, and have instead turned to Russia for military assistance.  

(with newswires)