Burkina Faso prime minister, cabinet resign

President Roch Kabore of Burkina Faso: accepts the resignation of the Prime Minister and cabinet

Burkina Faso’s government and Prime Minister Paul Kaba Thieba have resigned, President Roch Marc Christian Kabore said.

In a post on Twitter, Kabore said: “This afternoon I received the resignation of Prime Minister Paul Kaba Katy and his government. I thank them and congratulate them on their commitment to my side”.

No explanation was given for the resignations.

However, the AFP said the resignation could have been informed by Kabore’s plan to breathe new life into the leadership of the country, which is battling a rising wave of jihadist attacks and hostage-taking.

Canadian Edith Blais, 34, and her Italian partner Luca Tacchetto, 30, have been missing since mid-December, and late Wednesday a Canadian geologist kidnapped by suspected jihadists was found dead at a remote gold mine in the northeast.

President Kabore chose experienced economist Thieba as prime minister in January 2016. However, in recent months several political opponents have been calling for his resignation and that of ministers in charge of security and defence.

Burkina Faso lies in the heart of the vast Sahel region, which is struggling with a bloody Islamist insurgency.

The region turned into a hotbed of violent extremism and lawlessness after chaos engulfed Libya in 2011.

An Islamist insurgency began in northern Mali, while Boko Haram rose in northern Nigeria.

Jihadist raids began in northern Burkina Faso in 2015 before spreading to the east, near the border with Togo and Benin. (NAN)