Burkina Faso junta dissolves government, fires prime minister
Burkina Faso’s military leader, Captain Ibrahim Traoré, has dissolved the government and fired Prime Minister Apollinaire Joachim Kyelem de Tambela.
A statement from Traoré’s office did not give reasons for the decision but said cabinet members would remain in their roles until a new government is formed.
The announcement comes as Burkina Faso struggles with a growing revolution.
Tambela had served as interim prime minister since 2022 after Traoré took power in a coup that removed Lt. Col. Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba.
Burkina Faso has been battling Islamist violence for nearly a decade. Armed groups linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State have killed thousands and displaced over 2 million people.
Critics, including rights groups, have accused the junta of failing to address the issue.
The military-led transitional government recently extended its rule by five years, delaying promised elections and drawing criticism from international and regional groups.
The junta also cut ties with France and withdrew from the West African bloc ECOWAS.
Burkina Faso’s move also comes after similar events in Mali, where the military recently fired its prime minister after public disagreements.
