Burkina Faso junta gets fresh 5 years transition term as oppositions kick

The junta in Burkina Faso has secured another five-year tenure extension after the signing of a new charter. The charter was opposed by political parties as they critisised the elongation of the tenure of the junta….

The military leader of Burkina Faso will remain in office for another five years, leaving the country’s opposition’s dreams of returning to constitutional democracy in tatters.

The decision came after the signing of a new charter following national consultations in the capital on Saturday.

Top civil society representatives, the security and defense forces, and lawmakers in the transitional assembly participated in the talks in Ouagadougou, which most political parties boycotted.

Col. Moussa Diallo, the chairman of the organizing committee of the national dialogue process, declared in a speech after the talks that “the duration of the transition is fixed at 60 months from July 2, 2024.”

He added that “the elections marking the end of the transition may be organised before this deadline if the security situation so permits.”

The charter also paved the way for Captain Ibrahim Traore to run for president when the elections take place.

The incumbent junta seized power in September 2022 by removing the military regime of Lt. Col. Paul Henri Sandaogo Damiba, about eight months after it staged a coup to remove democratically elected President Roch Marc Kaboré.

Security has worsened since respective militaries seized power in Burkina Faso and other African countries, despite assurances to improve the situation.

According to the U.S.-based crisis-monitoring group ACLED, Burkina Faso faced a severe escalation of deadly attacks in 2023, with more than 8,000 people reportedly killed.