West African country, Burkina Faso has insisted that it will not negotiate with jihadist insurgents who control some parts of the country.
Burkinabè’s prime minister, Apollinaire Kyelem de Tambela made the position known on Tuesday and hinted that continued security threats in the country posed a great challenge to the planned transition into civil rule. The country is currently under the rulership of military dictator, Ibrahim Traore.
“We will never negotiate, either over Burkina Faso’s territorial integrity or its sovereignty,” de Tambela told the Transitional Legislative Assembly.
“We cannot organise elections without security. If you have a magic wand to ensure we can hold elections as soon as possible, we’d do it,” de Tambela told the representatives.
“If we organised elections now, while part of our territory is inaccessible, they’ll say that whoever is elected has been wrongly elected,” he said.
The prime minister also claimed the government has had progress in its fight against terror.
“Thanks to our efforts” more than 20,000 households, representing more than 125,000 people, “have returned to their regions,” he said, without giving further detail.
“We will defend our territory and our populations whatever the cost,” he declared.
More than 10,000 people have died as a result of the Burkina Faso crisis, and two million more have been forced out of their homes, according to non-governmental aid agencies. According to the United Nations, one in five Burkinabè, and approximately one in 10, or 1.9 million people, are internally displaced as of 31 December 2022.
Despite the troubles with insecurity, the country earlier this year severed defence ties with an age-long partner, France, expelling French ambassadors and French troops in the aftermath.