MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on the political crisis in Burkina Faso
15.2.2022 - (2022/2542(RSP))
pursuant to Rule 144 of the Rules of Procedure
Pedro Marques, Andrea Cozzolino, Maria Arena, Evin Incir
on behalf of the S&D Group
See also joint motion for a resolution RC-B9-0104/2022
B9‑0110/2022
European Parliament resolution on the political crisis in Burkina Faso
The European Parliament,
– having regard to its previous resolutions, notably that on Burkina Faso of 19 December 2019, and on EU-African security cooperation in the Sahel region, West Africa and the Horn of Africa of 16 September 2020,
– having regard to the declaration by the High Representative on behalf of the EU on the latest developments in Burkina Faso of 26 January 2022,
– having regard to the statement on Burkina Faso by the spokesperson of the Secretary-General of the UN of 24 January 2022,
– having regard to the statement on the situation in Burkina Faso of the UN Security Council of 9 February 2022,
– having regard to the final communiqué following the extraordinary summit of the ECOWAS authority of heads of state and government on the political situation in Burkina Faso of 28 January 2022,
– having regard to the ECOWAS protocol on democracy and good governance;
– having regard to the final communiqué adopted by the Peace and Security council (PSC) of the African Union (AU) on its 1062 meeting of 31 January 2022 on the situation in Burkina Faso,
– having regard to the Joint Communication from the Commission and the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy of 9 March 2020 entitled ‘Towards a comprehensive Strategy with Africa’,
– having regard to the resolution of the Joint Parliamentary Assembly of the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States (ACP) and the EU of 11 March 2021 on democracy and respect for constitutions in EU and ACP countries,
– having regard to the Joint Declaration of the members of the European Council with the member states of the Group of Five for the Sahel (G5 Sahel) of 28 April 2020,
– having regard to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), notably SDG 16 for the promotion of peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development,
– having regard to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights,
– having regard to the Constitution of the Republic of Burkina Faso,
– having regard to the Cotonou Agreement,
– having regard to the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance,
– having regard to the African Union Convention for the Protection and Assistance of Internally Displaced Persons in Africa,
– having regard to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights of 1966,
– having regard to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women of 1979,
– having regard to Rule 144 of its Rules of Procedure.
A. whereas on 24 January a group of soldiers from the Burkina Faso military known as the Patriotic Movement for Safeguard and Restoration (Mouvement Populaire pour la Sauvegarde et la Restauration (MPSR)) undertook a coup d’état, overthrowing the government of President Roch Kaboré, dissolving parliament and suspending the constitution;
B. whereas President Kaboré won a second term in democratic elections held in 2020; whereas he was coerced into announcing his last word as president and resigning shortly before the coup; whereas he has been detained by the armed forces, with limited contact with outsiders;
C. whereas the perpetrators of the coup, led by Lieutenant Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba installed a transitional government; whereas Lt Damiba claimed the constitution was restored on 31 January, and appointment himself President;
D. whereas the MPSR claimed the coup was in response to the deteriorating security situation in the country;
E. whereas on 3 February the coup leaders established a technical commission to set out a return to constitutional rule; whereas the commission has been tasked with proposing a transition plan;
F. whereas the mandate for the technical commission identifies priorities for the country including restoring territorial integrity, the return of internally displaced persons, good governance, and a return to constitutional order; whereas these objectives are in direct contradiction to the actions of the army which overthrew a democratically elected government;
G. whereas the government of Burkina Faso started a process of security sector reform in 2017 with the creation of a national council for defence and security with the aim of modernising the security sector and fighting corruption therein;
H. whereas the African Union and ECOWAS firmly condemned the coup d’état and have suspended Burkina Faso from its membership; whereas ECOWAS and the UN sent an interministerial delegation asking for a short transition and President Kabore’s release;
I. whereas unrest in Burkina Faso culminating in the overthrowing of the government has been driven by several factors including concerns at growing extremist violence and insecurity; whereas over two thousand people were killed in violent attacks in Burkina Faso in 2021, and 1.5 million people are displaced in the country as a result of extremist violence and insecurity; whereas 60% of internally displaced people in the Sahel region are in Burkina Faso;
J. whereas attacks perpetrated by extremists from neighbouring countries, notably Mali, affiliated to al-Qaeda and Islamic State in the Greater Sahara, have destabilised the country; whereas extremists killed more than 100 people in an attack in Solhan in June 2021; whereas more than 50 members of the gendarme were killed in an attack on the Inata military base in November 2021;
K. whereas the G5 Sahel, a collaborative defence effort between Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger, notably supported by the EU and AU, that coordinates the action in regional development and security to fight terrorism and bring stability to the region has not been capable of convincing local populations of its effectiveness;
L. whereas the conflict has had a profoundly damaging effect on women and children in particular; whereas the use of rape and sexual violence is widespread in conflict areas; whereas schools in parts of Burkina Faso are unable to open due to security threats, and children have been attacked and killed; whereas in response to this the UN secretary-general designated Burkina Faso a situation of concern regarding children in armed conflict;
M. whereas the increasing insecurity drove mass protest to the streets in November 2021; whereas the government shut down the internet increasing the discontent of the population and raising criticism among human rights organization and citizen movements in the country;
N. whereas the UN Human Rights Office opened a country office in Ouagadougou in October 2021; whereas all five G5 Sahel member countries now have UN human rights country offices, offering technical assistance, advice and support to governments and civil society to support national human rights strategies;
O. whereas the humanitarian situation in Burkina Faso continues to deteriorate; whereas 2.6 million people are estimated to need emergency food aid in 2022; whereas the EU committed EUR 37.7 million in humanitarian assistance in 2021; whereas safe and unhindered access for humanitarian efforts is paramount;
P. whereas the EU supports development, peace and security efforts in Burkina Faso and throughout the Sahel through the European Development Fund, the European Peace Facility, the Instrument contributing to Stability and Peace, and the Trust Fund for Africa;
Q. whereas in February 2022 seven civil society organisations created the National Coordination for a Successful Transition (CNRT) aiming at monitoring the engagements taken by the transition and denounce the shortcomings;
R. whereas the climate emergency is having a visible and deeply damaging effect on the Sahel region, leading to drought, crop failure, displacement, land and resource conflict, food insecurity and poverty; whereas a lack of access to education, employment opportunities and income is driving recruitment to extremist organisations and jihadist movements, fueling regional instability;
1. Condemns the coup perpetrated by the armed forces against the democratically elected government of Burkina Faso; underlines that this undemocratic action contradicts the provisions of the national constitution and is in violation of the country’s regional and international commitments;
2. Calls for the immediate and unconditional release of President Kaboré and all other government officials; calls for the international community to initiate an independent investigation into the detainment of President Kaboré and all other government officials;
3. Stresses that an urgent return to constitutional order is imperative, including an immediate return to civilian government;
4. Takes note of commitments made by the MPSR to respect Burkina Faso’s pre-existing commitments restore constitutional order within a reasonable timeframe;
5. Emphasises that conditions have not been met for the political recognition of the military junta government who have assumed power by military means; calls on the Commission to examine all ongoing development projects in the country in order to try to assess which of them can still continue with local partners or NGOs and international organisations without interference from the military junta regime, with the participation of women, security guarantees for development aid workers, and effective safeguards against corruption as conditions;
6. Urges in this regard an inclusive national dialogue to be launched immediately, including the participation of President Kaboré and his government, opposition parties, the MPSR and civil society, under the coordination of a regional or international organisation, with the aim of establishing a timetable for free, fair and inclusive elections; expresses its support for election observations in the country;
7. Urges the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, and the EEAS to engage in meaningful dialogue with all parties and to offer technical assistance to facilitate a national dialogue for a return to civilian rule;
8. Underlines the importance of regional cooperation and support in restoring democratic rule in Burkina Faso, in addition to long-term engagement for stability; welcomes in this regard the diplomatic and military missions to the country pledged by ECOWAS heads of states;
9. Urges all parties in Burkina Faso to uphold freedom of the press to ensure domestic and international media organisations can freely undertake their work including documenting the situation for IDPs and security forces operations;
10. Recalls that a failure to address impunity for past atrocities by security services and militias hampers peace efforts in Burkina Faso; notes that a self-appointed government without a democratic mandate undermines efforts to strengthen the rule of law and accountability;
11. Urges the Commission, EEAS and Member States to continue prioritising support to judicial and security sector reform in Burkina Faso to ensure sufficient resources and technical assistance are provided for root and branch reform of the security sector, transparent and constructive cooperation between a civilian government and the military, and renewed efforts to tackle corruption;
12. Welcomes initiatives such as the creation of the national coordination for a successful transition and calls for a strong support to such initiatives;
13. Underlines that terrorism and instability across the Sahel are challenging and undermining democratic consolidation and the rule of law; recalls that tackling the underlying causes of extremism as well as military efforts to restore government control across the region is essential to reinforcing the popular legitimacy of democratically elected governments;
14. Is extremely concerned at the deteriorating humanitarian situation in the country; welcomes the development and humanitarian assistance pledged by the Commission on behalf of the EU and urges the international community to continue to prioritise food assistance, healthcare and the protection and education of children; urges all parties in Burkina Faso to uphold international commitments to ensure humanitarian organisations are able to work freely across the country;
15. Recalls the recently approved EU Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime – which enables the EU to target perpetrators of serious human rights abuses worldwide – which, in the case of Burkina Faso, would allow for the targeting of military officials involved in the overthrow of the country's democratically elected president; calls on the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and the Member States to consider imposing targeted sanctions on the leadership of the military junta;
16. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, and the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the President of the Republic of Burkina Faso, and the Speaker of the Burkinabè Parliament, and the African Union and its institutions.