The prime minister of Burkina Faso has resigned in the wake of anti-government protests and spiraling insecurity. Prime Minister Christophe Dabire handed over his resignation letter to President Roch Marc Christian Kabore. However, other contrary news has it that the president of his government fired the prime minister.
The government was formed in 2019 and renewed in January 2021. Christophe Joseph Marie Dabire served as a minister under the former president Blaise Compaore. He is former Burkina Faso’s representative at the eight-nation West African Economic and Monetary Union.
He was pressured to resign because of failing to fight recurrent jihadists’ attacks that have plagued the West African Country. The Jihadists have killed over 2 000 people and injured 1.4 million since 2015. The group is affiliated with Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group.
The Jihadists have been attacking civilians and the military; they frequent their attacks in the North and East of Burkina Faso. On the 9th of November, the opposition demanded urgent action from the government to quell the disorder. On the 14th of November, Jihadists militants attacked a gendarmerie post in northern Burkina Faso, killing 49 military police officers and four civilians, the deadliest attack for the country’s security forces since the start of the Islamist insurgency in 2015 and further angering civilians and the military.
As such, for several weeks, anger has been building up. Moreover, civil society organizations also demanded the departure of the head of state.
Dabire called on the people to “support the president … and the new executive that will be put in place” in a post on his Facebook page.
The land of Burkina is indicated as one of the poorest countries, with an ill-equipped military that can hardly handle the dangerous Jihadists. The remaining president had already made changes to his military leadership to quell the pressure of the Jihadists.
Analysts speculated last month that more frequent and more extensive protests should be expected, increasing the likely hood of widespread social unrest. Coupled with a rising Anti-French sentiment.