Burkina Faso's ruling junta will remain in power for another five years after participants in national talks on May 25 proposed extending the transition back to democracy by 60 months from July, according to the text of an approved new charter.
The military authorities seized power in a 2022 coup and promised to hold elections in July this year to restore civilian rule, but also said that security considerations would take priority. The substantial delay is likely to deepen concerns about democratic backsliding in West and Central Africa, where there have been eight coups over the past four years.
Violence in West Africa's Sahel region fueled by a decade-long fight with Islamist groups linked to al Qaeda and Islamic State has worsened since respective militaries seized power in Burkina Faso and neighboring Mali and Niger. Burkina Faso experienced a severe escalation of deadly attacks in 2023, with more than 8,000 people reportedly killed, according to US-based crisis-monitoring group ACLED.
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