Burkina Faso’s new head of state Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba on Saturday approved a new government that will lead the country during a three-year transition period, reported Reuters.
The new government consists of 25 ministers including six women. According to the decree, Defence Minister General Barthelemy Simpore has retained the position he held under president Kabore before his removal in the coup.
The appointment of the new government follows a military coup that ousted former president Roch Kabore on January 24. The military-led by Damiba suspended the country’s constitution immediately on taking power, but the suspension was later reversed amid pressure from neighboring countries in West Africa demanding a return to civilian rule. Following the military coup, ECOWAS announced the suspension of Burkina Faso from the regional body.
Damiba took power at the end of January after overthrowing Kaboré who has been slammed due to his ineffectiveness in controlling mounting jihadist violence that continues to plague the country. He was inaugurated as Burkina Faso’s transitional president for three years on Wednesday.
Albert Ouedraogo was named as the West African nation’s transitional prime minister on Thursday.
Speaking on Saturday, Damiba made the fight against jihadism and the rebuilding of the state his priority. He has promised to re-establish constitutional order within a reasonable time but the issue of a date for elections remains unsettled.
Burkina Faso continues to struggle to control attacks by al-Qaeda and ISIL (ISIS) linked militants, who have killed thousands of people and displaced hundreds of thousands in the West Africa Sahel area, capturing swaths of territories.
Burkina Faso’s military coup was the fourth in West Africa in the last 18 months, following two in Mali and one in Guinea, after a period of democracy that had raised hopes the region could shed its reputation as the continent’s ‘coup belt.’
