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Burkina Faso’s prime minister on Tuesday ruled out negotiations with jihadist insurgents who control swathes of the country, while suggesting that security risks could delay the country’s return to civilian rule.
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His comments to lawmakers came as officials reported the deaths of around 40 people in weekend attacks attributed to Islamist fighters.
“We will never negotiate, either over Burkina Faso’s territorial integrity or its sovereignty,” Apollinaire Kyelem de Tambela told the Transitional Legislative Assembly.
Burkina Faso has been ruled since 2022 by a junta led by Captain Ibrahim Traore, who has promised a return to democracy with presidential elections by July 2024.
But de Tambela suggested that attacks could see that timeframe pushed back.
“We cannot organise elections without security. If you have a magic wand to ensure we can hold elections as soon as possible, we’d do it,” de Tambela told the representatives.
“If we organised elections now, while part of our territory is inaccessible, they’ll say that whoever is elected has been wrongly elected,” he said.
He added that the government aimed to double the number of volunteers for the VDP civil defence militia to 100,000 as part of Traore’s pledge to recapture the 40 percent of the country’s territory seized since 2015 by jihadists affiliated with Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group.
“The only negotiations that matter with these armed bandits are those taking place on the battlefield,” de Tambela told the Transitional Legislative Assembly.
Also Tuesday, regional officials said an armed convoy was targeted Saturday near Bourasso close to the Malian border, with another local source saying most victims were VDP members.
“The attack caused the death of around 20 people, mainly VDP,” the source said, requesting anonymity.
The regional government did not give a death toll, but claimed that 18…
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