Burkina Faso’s military ruler, Captain Ibrahim Traore, has dismissed Prime Minister Apollinaire Joachim Kyelem de Tambela and dissolved the country’s government, according to a decree reported on Friday.
The announcement, transmitted to AFP, provided no explanation for the dismissal.
The decree stated, “The prime minister’s official functions are terminated,” and instructed the outgoing government to handle “ongoing business until the formation of a new government.”
Kyelem de Tambela, who was appointed in October 2022 following Traore’s seizure of power, had led three successive governments despite multiple reshuffles.
Burkina Faso has experienced a series of political upheavals since January 2022, when Lieutenant-Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba ousted elected President Roch Marc Christian Kabore in a coup. Less than nine months later, Damiba himself was overthrown by Traore, who now heads the junta.
Currently in exile in Togo, Damiba was succeeded by Traore, 36, who has prioritized restoring Burkina Faso’s national sovereignty as a cornerstone of his administration. Traore’s government has consistently criticized Western influence, particularly from France, the country’s former colonial power.
Under Traore’s leadership, Burkina Faso has forged closer ties with Mali and Niger, both of which are also under military rule following recent coups. In September, the three nations formed the Alliance of Sahel States, distancing themselves from France and pivoting towards Russia for military and strategic cooperation.
Foreign Minister Karamoko Jean-Marie Traore recently highlighted this shift, stating that collaboration with Russia “better suited” Burkina Faso’s current needs compared to its historic ties with France. The three nations have also rejected the Economic Community of West African States, accusing the regional bloc of being influenced by French interests.
Since 2015, Burkina Faso has been battling a jihadist insurgency that originated in northern Mali and spread across the Sahel region. The violence has forced nearly two million people to flee their homes and claimed over 26,000 lives, according to the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project.
