Burkina Faso’s transitional government has been granted a five-year extension starting from July 2nd, following national consultations held on Saturday. The decision, announced by Colonel Moussa Diallo, chairman of the organising committee, follows the signing of a new charter by transitional President Ibrahim Traore.
The consultations involved civil society representatives, security and defence forces, and lawmakers in the transitional assembly. Under the new charter, President Traore will be eligible to run in elections at the end of the extended transitional period, as reported by Radiodiffusion Television du Burkina.
This extension comes amid a wave of military takeovers in West Africa, with Burkina Faso joining a growing list of countries where elected governments have been ousted for failing to deliver on promises. The current junta seized power in September 2022, overthrowing the military regime of Lt. Col. Paul Henri Sandaogo Damiba, who had himself staged a coup eight months earlier to remove democratically elected President Roch Marc Kaboré.
Since then, the transitional government has been operating under a constitution approved by a national assembly comprising army officers, civil society groups, and traditional and religious leaders.
The news of the extension comes amidst discussions of a potential confederation between Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger, with the long-term goal of forming a federation between these West African neighbours.
