Burkina Faso's Military Government Dissolves All Political Parties, Deepening Democratic Crisis
OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso – Burkina Faso's military government has issued a decree formally dissolving all political parties and seizing their assets, marking the definitive end of multiparty politics in the troubled West African nation and drawing sharp condemnation from rights groups as a severe blow to democracy.
The decree, announced on Thursday following a Council of Ministers meeting, scraps the legal framework that established and regulated political parties. Interior Minister Emile Zerbo, in a televised statement, framed the move as necessary to "rebuild the state," alleging that the proliferation of parties had fueled division and weakened social cohesion. He did not provide specific details of the alleged abuses.
The decision is the latest in a series of steps by the regime of Captain Ibrahim Traoré to consolidate power since he seized control in a September 2022 coup—the second in a year that toppled the democratically elected president. Traoré had initially promised the regional bloc ECOWAS to hold elections by 2024, but his government postponed them to 2029 after a national conference boycotted by several parties.
"This isn't a suspension; it's an obliteration of the political landscape," said Beverly Ochieng, a Dakar-based analyst with Control Risks. "With recent decrees placing the judiciary under direct government supervision, any semblance of a division of powers is gone. The trajectory is clear: indefinite military rule."
The dissolution follows years of escalating restrictions. Political rallies were banned after the 2022 coup. In July 2025, the government dissolved the Independent National Electoral Commission, citing cost. The civic space has shrunk dramatically, with authorities targeting media outlets, restricting press freedoms, and forcibly conscripting critics into military service.
Security Crisis as Backdrop
The power grab unfolds against a devastating security crisis. According to the Africa Center for Strategic Studies, armed groups linked to al-Qaeda and the Islamic State control roughly 60% of Burkina Faso's territory. Fatalities have tripled in the three years since Traoré took power compared to the prior three-year period, with nearly 18,000 deaths recorded by May of last year, mostly civilians.
Traoré's anti-colonial rhetoric, often disseminated through slick, AI-generated videos, has cultivated a strong online following. His government has severed ties with former colonial power France, expelled French troops, and turned to Russian security contractors for support, mirroring moves by neighboring juntas in Mali and Niger. The three nations formed the Alliance of Sahel States after withdrawing from ECOWAS and the International Criminal Court last year.
Yet, the violence has only intensified, spilling across borders. Human Rights Watch has documented atrocities by both jihadist groups and Burkinabe security forces, including the massacre of hundreds of civilians.
Voices from the Ground
Al Jazeera spoke to several citizens for their reaction to the dissolution of political life.
"What democracy?" asked Kadidia Savadogo, a teacher in Ouagadougou. "For years, those parties argued while our children died on the roads, unable to reach school. Maybe now we can focus on one thing: survival and reclaiming our land."
David Ouedraogo, a former civil servant and member of a now-dissolved party, offered a grim analysis. "This was inevitable. Each step—muzzling the press, controlling the courts, postponing elections—was a brick in this wall. We are witnessing the institutionalization of a dictatorship, plain and simple."
More pointed criticism came from Fatimata "Fati" Bâ, a human rights lawyer now in exile. "It's a cowardly, brutal power grab hiding behind the real suffering of our people," she said sharply. "Traoré uses the jihadist threat as an excuse to eliminate every single check on his power. He's not fighting for Burkina; he's entrenching himself. The world watches as he dismantles, piece by piece, everything that makes a state legitimate."
Meanwhile, Jean-Baptiste Yameogo, a trader in Bobo-Dioulasso, expressed weary resignation. "Parties, no parties… the guns don't stop talking. My concern is if the soldiers can finally bring security. If banning politics does that, most people here will accept it. We are tired."
With political parties outlawed, the judiciary under government control, and elections pushed far into the future, Burkina Faso's path back to civilian rule appears effectively closed for the foreseeable future.