MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on the situation in Burkina Faso
15.2.2022 - (2022/2542(RSP))
pursuant to Rule 144 of the Rules of Procedure
Željana Zovko, Michael Gahler, David McAllister, Sandra Kalniete, Andrey Kovatchev, Isabel Wiseler‑Lima, Miriam Lexmann, Adam Jarubas, Sara Skyttedal, Tomáš Zdechovský, Inese Vaidere, Krzysztof Hetman, Janina Ochojska, David Lega, Christian Sagartz, Antonio López‑Istúriz White, Vladimír Bilčík, José Manuel Fernandes, Elżbieta Katarzyna Łukacijewska, Eva Maydell, Vangelis Meimarakis, Romana Tomc, Peter Pollák, Stelios Kympouropoulos, Arba Kokalari, Loránt Vincze, Jiří Pospíšil, Ivan Štefanec, Seán Kelly, Michaela Šojdrová, Ioan‑Rareş Bogdan, Luděk Niedermayer
on behalf of the PPE Group
See also joint motion for a resolution RC-B9-0104/2022
B9‑0119/2022
European Parliament resolution on the situation in Burkina Faso
The European Parliament,
‒ having regard to the European Parliament resolution of 16 September 2020 on EU-African security cooperation in the Sahel region, West Africa and the Horn of Africa,
‒ having regard to the European Parliament resolution of 19 December 2019 on violations of human rights including religious freedoms in Burkina Faso,
‒ having regard to the Statement of 26 January 2022 by the AFET and DEVE Chairs and the Chair of the Delegation to the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly on the situation in Burkina Faso,
‒ having regard to the 26 January 2021, statement by the High Representative Josep Borrell on Burkina Faso,
‒ having regard to the 24 January 2022 African Union “Communiqué du Président de la Commission sur la situation au Burkina Faso“,
‒ having regard to the 28 January 2022 ECOWAS Commission “Final communiqué following the extraordinary summit of the ECOWAS authority of heads of state and government on the political situation in Burkina Faso”,
‒ having regard to the 31 January 2022, “Communiqué on the situation in Burkina Faso” by the African Union - Peace and Security Council,
‒ having regard to the 3 February extraordinary ECOWAS summit of Heads of State,
‒ having regard to the 27 January Address to the Nation by Lieutenant-Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo,
‒ having regard to Rule 144 of its Rules of Procedure,
A. whereas on 24 January the Burkina Faso's military, led by Lieutenant-Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba and the self-proclaimed “Patriotic Movement for Safeguard and Restoration” (MPSR), toppled the elected government and put president Kaboré under house arrest, whereas the Burkinabe Constitutional Court later declared Lieutenant-Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba as the new head of state;
B. whereas the military junta upon taking power announced the suspension of the constitution, the dissolution of the government and national assembly, whereas the constitution was reinstated on 31 January; whereas Mr. Damiba in a televised statement stated that Burkina Faso would uphold its international commitments;
C. whereas the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the African Union (AU) have suspended Burkina Faso from their bodies, without further sanctions, asking the junta for a "reasonable" timetable for this "return to constitutional order";
D. whereas on 5 February a decree by Mr Damiba announced the creation of a 15-member commission, made up of non-political and non-military actors such as civil society, to "draw up a draft charter and agenda, together with a proposal for the duration of the transition and implementation modalities" within "two weeks";
E. whereas Burkina Faso is faced with a sharply deteriorating security situation with much of the country being out of control of the central government which has led to increased human suffering; whereas its security forces are fighting multiple loosely Islamist-aligned groups under the banner of umbrella organisations such as Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), an al-Qaida affiliate that is active across the Sahel region; whereas since 2015, the country has faced an unprecedented crisis that has killed thousands of people and displaced more than 1.6 million, whereas roughly one third of the national territory it outside government control;
F. whereas frequent attacks by insurgents have targeted civilians and government officials, including teachers, civil servants and judicial staff, as well as especially the armed forces, which have suffered heavy losses at numerous attacks over the past months; whereas in June-2021 insurgents killed a total of 174 people in two villages (Solhan and Tadaryat) alone; whereas in November 2021, 53 police officers died in a terror attack on the Inata military post while they were waiting for logistical support and supplies, including food rations;
G. whereas criticism among the civil society and the military against the government increased in particular in the aftermath of the Inata attacks in November, which killed 53 policemen and sparked mass protests; whereas Prime Minister Dabiré was replaced in December following this intensified criticism;
H. whereas between 2016 and 2021, the national budget for defence and security grew from €240 millions to €650 millions – an increase of more than 270%; whereas these spendings failed to improve the living conditions or operational capacity of soldiers, partly due to rampant financial mismanagement;
I. whereas accusations of corruption and nepotism against government authorities have persisted for a considerable time which have led to a steady decline in trust and satisfaction with a government;
J. whereas the security situation in the Sahel region has deteriorated in recent months and whereas the in particular the recent coup and deteriorating situation in Mali have an impact on the situation in Burkina Faso; whereas the recent coup is also West Africa’s fourth coup in less than two years; whereas the increasing coups reflect a major crisis in West Africa’s political systems; whereas the deteriorating security situation in Burkina Faso has started to impact the more stable coastal states as insurgents use the country as spring board to stage cross-border attacks;
1. Expresses its concern about the 24 January coup d’Etat in Burkina Faso; calls upon all actors to respect democratic processes and the Burkinabe constitution;
2. Takes note of the creation of the commission to outline the next steps of the transition process and calls upon this commission to outline a clear and quick return to full democratic processes including a clear and realistic timetable for national elections;
3. Calls on the military leadership to fulfil the international commitments of Burkina Faso, including the full respect for human rights and the combat against terrorist organisations in full partnership with the international community;
4. Reiterates its support to ECOWAS and the AU and their efforts to mediate in this crisis;
5. Underlines that a true and honest national dialogue, involving all sectors of the civil society, is needed in order to outline a clear future vision for the Burkinabe democracy including concrete objectives jointly agreed and shared by the various non-military and non-state actors;
6. Calls on the security and defence forces to remain committed to their core duties of protecting the population and defending the country’s territory, and to make their demands known by non-violent means;
7. Calls for the immediate release from house arrest of President Kaboré;
8. Expresses its sympathy and condolences to the victims of terrorist attacks, both among the civilian and the military population, and reiterates its demand for a unified and coherent international approach to address this growing menace in the region;
9. Reiterates that the protection and safety of civilians is one of the key tasks of any government and underlines that additional measures should be taken in Burkina Faso in order to improve the protection of civilians; suggests that such measures could also include the installation of unarmed civilian protection methods which were already successfully put in place by the UN in other conflict situations;
10. Expresses its concern about the overall state of democracy in the region and calls upon all actors, both domestic and international, to reflect about what lessons to draw from the different coups and how to better support and encourage democratic processes in the region;
11. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the EU Special Representative for the Sahel, the Members of ECOWAS, the Secretariat of the G5 Sahel, and the Government and Parliament of Burkina Faso.