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Burkina Faso national conference approves 3-year military-led transition

Burkina Faso national conference approves 3-year military-led transition

THIAM NDIAGA A national conference in Burkina Faso has authorised the ruling junta to hold power for three years, potentially setting the West African country on a collision course with international partners who have urged a speedy return to constitutional order. The junta seized power in a January coup against President Roch Kabore, blaming him for failing to contain surging violence by Islamist militants. The putsch was led by Lieutenant-Colonel Paul-Henri Damiba, who is now interim president. The charter was approved by the conference and signed by Damiba in the early hours of Tuesday after a day-long debate in the…
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Burkina Faso president takes on defence role amid security crisis

Burkina Faso president takes on defence role amid security crisis

BURKINA Faso's president Roch Kabore has taken over the role of defence minister in a cabinet reshuffle aimed at stopping a wave of jihadist attacks that has plagued the West Africa country in recent years, according to a presidential decree. Groups linked to al Qaeda and Islamic State originally based in neighbouring Mali have embedded themselves across north and eastern Burkina Faso, launching regular attacks on civilians, including one this month that killed more than 130 people, the worst in years. Pressure has increased on Kabore to win back control and end a humanitarian crisis in which more than 1…
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Allies of Burkina Faso’s Kabore retain control of parliament

Allies of Burkina Faso’s Kabore retain control of parliament

THE ruling coalition of Burkina Faso President Roch Kabore, who was re-elected to a second term last week, has retained its majority in parliament, the electoral commission said. Kabore's People's Movement for Progress (MPP) and allied parties won about 90 of 127 seats in the Nov. 22 vote, official results showed. The Congress for Democracy and Progress (CDP) party of former president Blaise Compaore, who was ousted from power by an uprising in 2014, has become the largest opposition party in parliament with 20 seats, according to the results. Kabore was declared the provisional winner of the presidential election on…
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Burkina Faso opposition leader concedes defeat in election

Burkina Faso opposition leader concedes defeat in election

BURKINA Faso's main opposition leader has conceded defeat in the presidential election after initial results showed a comfortable victory for President Roch Kabore, ending a dispute in which opponents said election fraud was committed. President Roch Kabore Former Finance Minister Zephirin Diabre has met Kabore to congratulate him, Kabore said in a post on Twitter. A spokesman for Diabre confirmed the concession. It leaves Kabore free to tackle major challenges facing the landlocked West African country, including fighting Islamist groups that have killed more than 2,000 people in attacks this year and made large areas of the North and East…
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Burkina Faso president Kabore secures re-election, preliminary results show

Burkina Faso president Kabore secures re-election, preliminary results show

BURKINA FASO President Roch Kabore has won re-election by a comfortable margin, preliminary results have shown, after an election marred by insecurity that prevented swathes of the West African country from voting. Some analysts had expected a closer contest on Sunday between Kabore, who was elected in 2015, and his main rivals, who argued he had failed to contain Islamist and ethnic violence that forced 1 million people to flee their homes during his first term. The results read out by the election commission showed Kabore won 57.87% of the vote. He needed over 50% to avoid a second round.…
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Burkina Faso’s Kabore edges closer to re-election as lead grows

Burkina Faso’s Kabore edges closer to re-election as lead grows

THIAM NDIAGA BURKINA Faso President Roch Kabore has edged closer to re-election despite opposition concerns over the validity of the count, extending a commanding lead with over half of districts reporting results. Tallies posted to the election commission website on Wednesday showed Kabore with over 593,000 votes, almost four times as many as his nearest rival, former finance minister Zephirin Diabre. Having secured 58% of total ballots cast, Kabore is on track to secure enough votes to avoid a second round. The commission began announcing results from additional voting districts late Wednesday afternoon. Opposition objections to the count complicate an…
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