Burkinabe’s transitional prime minister says elections cannot be held “without security”

May 30. (EUROPE PRESS) –

The transitional Prime Minister of Burkina Faso, Apollinaire Kyelem de Tambela, took stock this Tuesday of his six months at the helm of the Government and stated that elections cannot be held “without security” in the country.

In response to a question from a deputy about the organization of the next elections in Burkina Faso, the transitional prime minister gave the example of the opposition leader of Mali, Soumaila Cissé, who was kidnapped in the country. “For me there are no elections without security”, he has sentenced.

On the other hand, he pointed out during a speech to the nation that when the head of the Burkina Faso military junta, Ibrahim Traoré, came to power “the country did not have an Army up to the challenge”, in reference to the unsafety.

In this sense, he has assured that, thanks to Traoré and the new alliances that Burkina Faso has forged with countries such as Russia, China, Turkey, Iran, North Korea or Venezuela, the Army is now “on the way” to be a better institution , with more staff and better weapons, has picked up the news portal Le Faso.

“Six rapid intervention battalions (BIR), six gendarmerie legions, two new air bases were created. 6,000 soldiers were recruited and another 5,000 are currently in the process. Finally, 50,000 volunteers for Homeland Defense were recruited (VDP)”, he stated.

Likewise, the prime minister of transition has pointed out that the “reconstruction of society will consist above all in providing the country with a Constitution that reflects the aspirations of the peoples. “True reconciliation is that which consists of reconciling society with itself , with its past and its history”, he said.

On the other hand, he has also assured that the Government has provided assistance to more than three million people “thanks to the cumulative financing of the State” -238,000 million CFA francs- and humanitarian partners.

Traoré led a coup in September that was considered a “palace coup” by a sector of the military junta confronting the until then leader of the junta, Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba, which took place in the face of the continuous deterioration of the security situation. and attacks by jihadist groups.

Burkina Faso has generally experienced a significant increase in insecurity since 2015, with attacks carried out by both the Al Qaeda affiliate and the Islamic State, causing a wave of internally displaced persons and refugees to other countries in the region.