A two-day national dialogue began in military-run Burkina Faso on Saturday as the West African nation beset by jihadist violence tries to chart a path back to civilian rule.
“We have a date with history,” said government minister Emile Zerbo, reading out a message on behalf of junta chief Captain Ibrahim Traore at the opening ceremony broadcast on national television.
“That is why we must silence our quarrels to share the wealth of our diversity, to protect what is essential and write a new page in our history,” Zerbo said.
The army has governed Burkina Faso since 2022, carrying out two coups that it justified in large part due to the country’s persistent insecurity.
Jihadist rebels affiliated with Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group have waged a grinding insurgency since 2015 that has killed thousands and displaced millions.
An initial national dialogue adopted a charter that installed Traore as president, and put in place a government and a legislative assembly. It set the duration of the transition to civilian rule at 21 months with the deadline due to expire on July 1, but Traore has repeatedly warned holding elections will be difficult given the perilous security situation.
Civil society representatives, the security and defence forces and lawmakers in the transitional assembly were taking part in this weekend’s talks but it was unclear if political parties would join them.
According to one participant, the debates will focus on the length of the transition, which could be extended by up to three and a half years from July 2.
The eligibility of Traore in a future election will also be on the agenda.
AFP