Burkina Faso’s leader conducts a partial restructuring of his cabinet

 

The head of Burkina Faso’s military junta, Ibrahim Traoré, on Sunday carried out a partial restructuring of his cabinet, including the Foreign and Mines Ministers, after his government revised the mining code following  the fall in gold production.

Traore has appointed Yacouba Zabré Gouba in the portfolio of Minas, which replaces Simon Pierre Busim; while Karamoko Jean Marie Traore -so far in Reginal Cooperation- replaces Olivia Rouamba in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, according to decrees collected by the burkiniese news agency AIB.

The move comes as the country’s gold production, one of Africa’s largest producers, fell 13 percent in 2022, so at least five mines have closed amid deteriorating security conditions reports the Bloomberg news agency.

In addition, Mathias Traoré will be the secretary general of the government, since the one who was in this position so far, Jacques Sosthéne Dingara, moves to National Education. The Minister of Communication and Tourism, Rimtalba Jean Emmanuel Ouédraogo, has become Minister of State. Stella Kabré will occupy Regional Cooperation.

Burkina Faso, ruled by a military junta since the January 2022 coup against then-president Roch Marc Christian Kaboré, has experienced an increase in insecurity since 2015. The board is now headed by Ibrahim Traoré, who starred in September 2022 in a raid that was considered a ‘learfriend coup’ against the until then leader, Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba.