Why has Burkina Faso banned political parties, and what’s next?

After respective years of suspension, governmental parties successful Burkina Faso person been formally dissolved by the subject government, which has besides seized each their assets successful a determination analysts accidental is simply a large stroke for ideology successful the West African nation.

In a decree issued connected Thursday, the government, led by Captain Ibrahim Traore, scrapped each laws which established and regulated governmental parties, accusing them of failing to comply with guidelines.

Recommended Stories

• list 1 of 4Burkina Faso’s subject authorities dissolves governmental parties
• list 2 of 4Burkina Faso person vows AES confederation crackdown connected equipped groups successful Sahel
• list 3 of 4Sahel summit: What is the biggest situation facing the region?
• list 4 of 4Niger subject gov’t says France, Benin, Ivory Coast down airdrome attack

The troubled West African federation is struggling with unit from equipped groups linked to ISIL (ISIS) and al-Qaeda. It is 1 of a increasing fig of West and Central African nations to person undergone coups successful caller years.

Traore seized powerfulness successful September 2022, 8 months aft an earlier subject coup had already overthrown the democratically elected President Roch Marc Kabore.

Despite beardown disapproval by rights groups and absorption politicians of his authoritarian approach, 37-year-old Traore has successfully built up an online cult-like pursuing among pan-Africanists, with galore likening him to the precocious Burkinabe revolutionary leader, Thomas Sankara.

Traore’s anti-colonial and anti-imperial pronouncements are often shown successful high-definition, AI-generated videos that person gained him wide admiration crossed the internet.

But the determination to prohibition governmental parties does not beryllium good for democracy, Dakar-based expert Beverly Ochieng of the Control Risks quality firm, told Al Jazeera.

“The subject authorities volition [remain] highly influential, particularly aft a caller decree appointing Traore successful a supervisory capableness successful the judiciary,” Ochieng said, referring to a December 2023 law alteration which placed courts straight nether authorities control.

Going forward, “there volition beryllium precise constricted part of powers oregon autonomy crossed the civic and governmental space,” Ochieng said, adding that the subject authorities volition apt support extending its enactment successful power.

People be the opening of 2 days of nationalist talks to follow a transitional charter and designate an interim president to pb the state aft September’s coup successful Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, connected October 14, 2022 [Vincent Bado/Reuters]

Why person governmental parties been banned?

The Burkinabe authorities claims the existing governmental parties were not pursuing the codes which established them.

In a televised connection pursuing a Council of Ministers gathering connected Thursday, erstwhile the caller decree was approved, Interior Minister Emile Zerbo said the determination was portion of a broader effort to “rebuild the state” aft alleged wide abuses and dysfunction successful the country’s multiparty system.

A authorities review, helium said, had recovered that the multiplication of governmental parties had fuelled divisions and weakened societal cohesion successful the country.

“The authorities believes that the proliferation of governmental parties has led to excesses, fostering part among citizens and weakening the societal fabric,” Zerbo said.

He did not springiness details of the governmental parties’ alleged excesses.

How did governmental parties run successful the past?

Before the 2022 coup, which brought the existent subject enactment to power, Burkina Faso had much than 100 registered governmental parties, with 15 represented successful parliament aft the 2020 wide elections.

The largest was the ruling People’s Movement for Progress (MPP), which had 56 of 127 seats successful parliament. It was followed by the Congress for Democracy and Progress, with 20 seats, and the New Era for Democracy with 13 seats.

But the civilian authorities faced months of protests arsenic thousands took to the streets to show against increasing insecurity from equipped groups successful ample parts of the country.

In 2022, Traore took power, promising to enactment an extremity to unit by equipped groups. He besides promised the determination Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) bloc that his authorities would clasp elections by 2024.

But governmental parties were banned from holding rallies aft the 2022 coup and, a period earlier the 2024 deadline, Traore’s authorities postponed elections to 2029 aft holding a nationalist conference, which was boycotted by respective governmental parties.

Burkina Faso, on with Mali and Niger, withdrew from ECOWAS to signifier the Alliance of Sahel States, a caller economical and subject confederation successful January past year. They besides withdrew from the International Criminal Court (ICC).

In July 2025, Traore’s authorities dissolved the Independent National Electoral Commission, saying the bureau was excessively expensive.

Burkina Faso’s President Captain Ibrahim Traore, 2nd left, walks alongside Mali’s President General Assimi Goita during the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) 2nd acme connected information and improvement successful Bamako, Mali, connected December 23, 2025 [Mali Government Information Center via AP]

Has insecurity worsened nether Traore?

Landlocked Burkina Faso is presently grappling with respective equipped groups which person seized power of onshore successful the country’s north, southbound and west, amounting to astir 60 percent of the country, according to the Africa Center for Strategic Studies (ACSS).

The astir progressive groups are the al-Qaeda-backed Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) and Islamic State Sahel Province (ISSP), which besides run successful neighbouring Mali and Niger.

The groups privation to regularisation implicit territory according to strict Islamic laws and are opposed to secularism.

Supporters of Captain Ibrahim Traore parade with a Russian emblem successful the streets of Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, connected October 2, 2022 [File: Sophie Garcia/AP]

By December 2024, each 3 Alliance of Sahel States countries had chopped ties with erstwhile assemblage powerfulness France and alternatively turned to Russian fighters for information enactment aft accusing Paris of overly meddling successful their countries.

Between them, they expelled much than 5,000 French soldiers who had antecedently provided enactment successful the combat against equipped groups. A smaller contingent of astir 2,000 Russian information unit is present stationed crossed the 3 countries.

But unit successful Burkina Faso and the larger Sahel portion has worsened.

Fatalities person tripled successful the 3 years since Traore took powerfulness to scope 17,775 – mostly civilians – by past May, compared with the 3 years prior, erstwhile combined recorded deaths were 6,630, the ACSS recorded.

In September, Human Rights Watch accused JNIM and ISSP of massacring civilians successful bluish Djibo, Gorom Gorom and different towns, and of causing the displacement of tens of thousands since 2016.

HRW has besides likewise accused the Burkinabe subject and an allied militia group, Volunteers for the Defense of the Homeland, of atrocities against civilians suspected of cooperating with equipped groups. In attacks connected bluish Nondin and Soro villages successful aboriginal 2024, the subject killed 223 civilians, including 56 babies and children, HRW said successful an April 2024 report.

Mali and Niger person likewise recorded attacks by the equipped groups. Malian superior Bamako has been sealed off from substance supplies by JNIM fighters for months.

On Wednesday night, the Nigerien subject held off dense attacks connected the airdrome successful the superior city, Niamey. No equipped radical has yet claimed responsibility.

Is the civic abstraction shrinking successful Burkina Faso?

Since it took power, the authorities successful Ouagadougou has been accused by rights groups of cracking down connected dissent and restricting property and civic freedoms.

All governmental activities were archetypal suspended instantly aft the coup.

In April 2024, the authorities besides took purpose astatine the media, ordering internet work providers to suspend entree to the websites and different integer platforms of the BBC, Voice of America and HRW.

Meanwhile, authorities person forced dozens of authorities critics into subject work and sent them to combat against equipped groups. Several salient journalists and judges person been arrested aft speaking retired against progressively restrictive rules connected property and judiciary freedom.

Abdoul Gafarou Nacro, a lawman authoritative astatine the country’s High Court, was 1 of astatine slightest 5 elder members of the judiciary to beryllium forcibly conscripted and sent to combat equipped groups successful August 2024 aft speaking retired against the subject government. Nacro’s whereabouts are presently unknown.

In April 2025, 3 abducted journalists resurfaced successful a societal media video 10 days aft they went missing, successful 1 example. All 3 – Guezouma Sanogo, Boukari Ouoba, and Luc Pagbelguem – were wearing subject fatigues successful an evident forced conscription. They person each since been released.

However, respective others, including immoderate absorption politicians, are inactive missing.