Arthur Greene
Burkina Faso’s President Roch Marc Christian Kabore fired the country’s prime minister, as street protests raged over the governments failure to combat Jihadist attacks.
Prime Minister Christophe Joseph Marie Dabire submitted a letter of resignation on Wednesday, which the president accepted.
Dabire’s resignation has been described as a de-facto dismissal in several media outlets, as protesters and the country’s opposition party have, in recent months, called on him to go.
His dismissal triggered the resignation of the entire government, as is dictated by Burkina Faso law.
The move comes amid an escalating security crisis in one of West Africa’s poorest nations.
Since 2016, over 2,000 people have been killed in Jihadist attacks in the country committed mainly by Al-Qaeda and the so-called Islamic State, according to France24.
Over 1.4 million people have been forced to flee their homes as the country’s military struggles to deal with well-equipped terrorist organisations.
In one the most deadly attacks to have taken place in recent years, at least 57 people were killed in an attack on a police post in the country’s north in mid-November.
Following the attack, anti-government protests have been rife in the capital Ouagadougou. There have been several instances of the demonstrations escalating into violence, with police firing tear gas into the crowds.
Amid this political turmoil, the president stressed the need for a “stronger cabinet”.
Following his dismissal on Wednesday, Dabire called on citizens to “support the president… and the new executive that will be put in place”.
The outgoing government will stay in place until an incoming one is appointed.
Image source: Euro News
