MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on the situation in Burkina Faso following the coup d’état
14.10.2022 - (2022/2865(RSP))
pursuant to Rule 132(2) of the Rules of Procedure
Jan‑Christoph Oetjen, Olivier Chastel, Bernard Guetta, Karen Melchior, Javier Nart, María Soraya Rodríguez Ramos, Nicolae Ştefănuță, Hilde Vautmans
on behalf of the Renew Group
See also joint motion for a resolution RC-B9-0464/2022
B9‑0464/2022
European Parliament resolution on the situation in Burkina Faso following the coup d’état
The European Parliament,
– having regard to its previous resolutions on Burkina Faso, and in particular those of 19 December 2019 on violations of human rights including religious freedoms in Burkina Faso[1], of 16 September 2020 on EU-African security cooperation in the Sahel region, West Africa and the Horn of Africa[2], and of 16 February 2022 on the political crisis in Burkina Faso[3],
– having regard to the statement by the Commissioner for International Partnerships, Jutta Urpilainen on behalf of the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy of 4 October 2022 in the European Parliament, Strasbourg,
– having regard to the statement by UN Secretary-General António Guterres of 1 October 2022,
– having regard to the constitution of Burkina Faso,
– having regard to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1948,
– having regard to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights,
– having regard to the UN International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights of 1966,
– having regard to Partnership Agreement between the members of the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States, of the one part, and the European Community and its Member States, of the other part, signed in Cotonou on 23 June 2000 (the Cotonou Agreement),
– having regard to the resolution of 11 March 2021 of the Joint Parliamentary Assembly of the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States (ACP) and the EU on democracy and the respect for constitutions in EU and ACP countries,
– having regard to Rule 132(2) of its Rules of Procedure,
A. whereas on 30 September 2022 a military coup led by Captain Ibrahim Traoré took place in Burkina Faso; whereas Burkina Faso suffered two military coups in eight months; whereas Captain Ibrahim Traoré was directly involved in the previous military coup of 24 January 2022 under the leadership of Lieutenant-Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba;
B. whereas former President Lieutenant-Colonel Damiba resigned on 2 October 2022; whereas according to a disinformation campaign, President Lieutenant-Colonel Damiba took shelter under French protection, which was immediately and strongly denied by the French authorities; whereas violent and destructive protests took place in front of the French embassy and against the Institut Français (French Institute); whereas both former President Lieutenant-Colonel Damiba and Captain Traoré have called for calm and denied these rumours; whereas according to the Togolese authorities, the former Burkinabe president was allowed to enter Togo to prevent an escalation of violence and to open the way for peace in the region;
C. whereas the previous coup leader and former president Lieutenant-Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba dissolved the government and the National Assembly on 24 January 2022, and suspended the constitution; whereas former president Roch Marc Christian Kaboré was arrested on 26 January 2022 and still remains under house arrest; whereas the President of the National Assembly Alassane Bala Sakandé and some ministers were arrested on 24 January 2022 and have since been released;
D. whereas since 2015 Burkina Faso has been the target of several serious security threats, Islamic insurgency, terrorism and rebel activity; whereas approximately 40 % of Burkina Faso’s territory is currently exposed to violence committed by armed rebel groups, some of which are linked to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State; whereas civilians in these areas are suffering from a lack of food, water, electricity and basic healthcare due to the blockade imposed by armed groups, and are at risk of forced disappearances, kidnappings and murders; whereas on 26 September 2022 a supply convoy of Burkina Faso’s military government, bound for the town of Djibo, the capital of the Sahel region in the north of the country, was attacked by terrorists, claiming 37 lives; whereas one in ten people living in Burkina Faso is now an internally displaced person;
E. whereas the latest military coup in Burkina Faso hinders the efforts made to return to constitutional order after the military coup of 24 January 2022;
F. whereas the private Russian military entity Wagner Group continues to expand its activities in the Sahel region and Western Africa; whereas a group of Russian military contractors has written to Burkina Faso’s coup leaders offering to train the country’s army in its fight against jihadists; whereas the Russian Wagner Group is known to have perpetrated numerous war crimes in the region;
G. whereas the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has deployed a fact-finding mission following the military coup of 30 September 2022, headed by Guinea-Bissau’s Foreign Minister and West Africa’s mediator for Burkina Faso;
1. Condemns in the strongest terms the military coup of 30 September 2022 in Burkina Faso; urges the new transitional government to follow the agreed timeline in order to restore constitutional rule and return to a democratically elected civilian-led government;
2. Notes that, according to an official statement broadcast on national television by the spokesperson for the ruling junta, Captain Kiswendsida Farouk Azaria Sorgho, on 5 October 2022 Captain Ibrahim Traoré was appointed Burkina Faso’s Head of State and Supreme Head of the Armed Forces;
3. Takes note of President Traoré’s public pledge made on 3 October 2022 to fulfil the commitments made in July 2022 by the previous Burkinabe leadership to organise elections and facilitate Burkina Faso’s return to civilian leadership by July 2024 at the latest; calls on the military leadership to fulfil Burkina Faso’s international commitments, including to fully respect human rights and to combat terrorist organisations in close partnership with the international community;
4. Welcomes ECOWAS’ prompt deployment of a fact-finding mission following the military coup of 30 September; takes note of the conclusions of the meeting between the ECOWAS delegation and President Traoré as well with the country’s religious leaders; supports ECOWAS’ commitment to continue monitoring Burkina Faso’s transition to constitutional rule; calls on the Commission to back these efforts and to offer its support to ensure a safe transition;
5. Insists firmly that the authorities of Burkina Faso must uphold and respect human rights and allow their people to exercise their civil and political rights; calls on all actors – military, civilian and political – in Burkina Faso to respect the rule of law and to commit to the return and preservation of the constitutional order;
6. Urges all parties in Burkina Faso to uphold the freedom of the press to ensure that domestic and international media organisations can freely carry out their work, including documenting the situation of internally displaced people and security force operations;
7. Condemns the attacks perpetrated by mobs against the French embassy and the Institut Français in the capital Ouagadougou and the multiple attacks against French symbols and diplomatic institutions across Burkina Faso on 2 October 2022; expresses its concern about the increasing volume of malicious Russian disinformation campaigns in Burkina Faso;
8. Urges the junta leaders of Burkina Faso to respect the country’s international legal obligations to protect diplomatic staff and premises, and to ensure the safety of foreign nationals living in the country;
9. Is concerned by a lack of focus in the fight against terrorist and armed groups in Burkina Faso, which exposes civilians to more suffering; observes a decrease in support for EU peace-building and development cooperation activities in Burkina Faso and the Sahel, a phenomenon which is increasingly the policy of certain institutions; calls on the Commission to increase the visibility of its actions in support of human rights and humanitarian and development cooperation in the area;
10. Expresses concern over the increasing instability in the Sahel, which is undermining the security and stability of the surrounding countries and having profound international consequences; expresses its concern about the overall state of democracy in the region and calls on all actors, both domestic and international, to reflect on the lessons learnt from the various coups and on how to better support and encourage democratic processes in the region; recalls its condemnation of military takeovers as a method for transitions; stresses the importance of upholding democratic values through democratic constitutions as a means of ensuring a peaceful transition of power;
11. Notes that coups undermine efforts to strengthen the rule of law and establish the democratic legitimacy of government actions; recalls that genuine democratic transition and reform must be civilian-led and allow for the full and active involvement of civil society organisations, women, young people and opposition parties;
12. Is deeply concerned about Russian Wagner Group activities in the Sahel region; strongly advises the Burkinabe authorities against using the Wagner Group to train their army or achieve stability; reminds the Burkinabe authorities that the use of private military companies such as the Wagner Group runs counter to the objective of bringing peace, security and stability to Burkina Faso and the Sahel;
13. Calls on the EU Member States to comply with their international obligations to implement a thorough check and tracing system for their exports of weapons to non-EU countries, as stipulated in the Arms Trade Treaty, so as to avoid their misuse and the fuelling of human rights violations;
14. Calls for the EU and its Member States to increase financial support and humanitarian aid for civil society in order to meet the urgent needs of the people of Burkina Faso, and in particular the needs of displaced persons and refugees in neighbouring countries;
15. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the authorities of Burkina Faso, the Commission, the Vice-President of the European Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the ACP-EU Council of Ministers and Joint Parliamentary Assembly, the African Union, the Economic Community of West African States, the Secretary-General of the United Nations and the Pan-African Parliament.