Burkina Faso: UN criticises dissolution of political parties

Burkina Faso’s military junta has been criticised by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, for the dissolution of political parties, as reported by RFI and agencies on February 6th.

The Burkinabe junta, led by Captain Ibrahim Traoré, announced the dissolution of political parties on January 29th, which Turk condemned in a statement released on February 5th, describing the decision as “not a step in the right direction for the human rights of the people of Burkina Faso.”

According to the Burkinabe Interior Minister, Emile Zerbo, the state has experienced “numerous abuses” under the multi-party system, arguing that its presence has promoted “division among citizens and weakened the social fabric.”

It was previously reported in July 2025 that Zerbo had supported the dissolution of Burkina Faso’s electoral commission, which ministers alleged was susceptible to “foreign influences.”

Burkina Faso has been under military junta rule since 2022, when the country experienced two military coups, with the latter installing Traoré as leader in September 2022 following the ousting of former transitional president, Lieutenant Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba.

Damiba was arrested and detained in neighbouring Togo on January 16th, before being extradited to his home country, where he was handed over to Burkinabe authorities.

Reportedly, Damiba faces prosecution for a range of offences, including embezzlement of public funds, corruption and incitement to commit offences.

Following Damiba’s arrest, members of the Burkinabe military have been purged from their roles over alleged ties to the former president. A military source stated that several commanding officers have gone missing, while other high-ranking gendarmerie members have been disarmed and placed under surveillance.

Under the guise of protecting national security, the junta has increasingly sought to silence perceived opposition voices. The UN has previously criticised the junta for threatening all critical and dissenting voices with arrest, including during Turk’s last visit to the country in June 2024.

Additionally, the junta has been condemned by Human Rights Watch for allegedly perpetrating mass killings of civilians under the guise of countering Islamist insurgents, who pose a significant threat in the Sahel region.

Organisations like the al-Qaeda-affiliated Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM) have carried out attacks throughout the Sahel region.

JNIM claimed responsibility for an attack on a police detachment in Burkina Faso’s Easter Region that killed 11 police officers between January 17th and 18th.

Despite vowing to counter jihadist violence and restore stability upon his rise to power, Traoré’s government has struggled to contain the threat posed by jihadists.

RFI and agencies, Maghrebi.org