In line with a presidential decree, Burkina Faso’s president Roch Kabore has taken over the ministry of Defence and assumed the position of Defence minister in a cabinet reshuffle geared toward stopping a wave of insurgency that has plagued the West Africa nation in recent times.
Al Qaeda-backed groups mostly from neighbouring Mali embedded themselves throughout northern part of the country launching assaults on civilians.
Now, over 1 million individuals have been displaced by violence. Last month, they killed more than 130 people –the worst in years.
Main opposition politicians have demanded the resignation of the federal government and referred to the current situation as an indication that the federal government has shown incapability to check the insurgency.
Kabore will oversee the ministry of defence. He will be assisted by Colonel Main Aimé Simpore, replacing Cheriff Sy who had been in the saddle since January 2019.
Despite the presence of thousands of U.N. peacekeepers, assaults by militants in West Africa’s Sahel area have remarkably risen.
Human Rights Watch states that the attacks this month pushes the number killed by armed insurgents within the Sahel region to over 500 since January, this year. Kabore’s move to oversee the ministry was well-received by members of his cabinet.