By Mark Ogagan
The military-led government of Burkina Faso has issued a decree dissolving all political parties that had already been forced to suspend activities after a coup that ushered in Captain Ibrahim Traore (Pictured), nearly four years ago.
Traore, who seized power in a coup in September 2022, eight months after an earlier military coup had overthrown democratically elected President Roch Marc Kabore.
The West African nation’s council of ministers passed the decree on Thursday amid the government’s ongoing crackdown on dissenting voices as it struggles to contain insurgencies linked to al-Qaeda and ISIL (ISIS).
Burkina Faso‘s Interior Minister Emile Zerbo said the decision was part of a broader effort to “rebuild the state” after alleged widespread abuses and dysfunction in the country’s multiparty system.
Zerbo said a government review found that the multiplication of political parties had fuelled divisions and weakened social cohesion.
The decree disbands all political parties and political formations, with all their assets now set to be transferred to the state.
Before the coup, the country had more than 100 registered political parties, with 15 represented in parliament after the 2020 general election.
The country’s military leaders have cut ties with former colonial ruler France and turned to Russia for security support.
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