The decision to suspend Burkina Faso from the Francophonie follows the coup that overthrew President Roch Marc Christian Kabore on January 24, 2022.
The Permanent Council of La Francophonie (PCF) met in an extraordinary session on Tuesday, February 8, 2022 in Paris, by videoconference, under the chairmanship of the Secretary General, Louise Mushikiwabo.
The PCF examined, among other things, the situation in Burkina Faso following the military coup.
Referring to her recent condemnation of the coup, the Secretary General recalled that the seizure of power by force is a violation of the commitments made by the member states and governments of ‘La Francophonie’ in the Bamako Declaration.
In a resolution adopted unanimously, the CPF condemned these events and decided, in accordance with the provisions of the Bamako Declaration, to suspend Burkina Faso from the bodies of La Francophonie.
However, the resolution maintains multilateral Francophone cooperation programs in support of the process of restoring constitutional and democratic order as well as those directly benefiting the civilian population.
The CPF demands the immediate and unconditional release of President Roch Marc Christian Kabore and calls on the ruling Patriotic Movement for the Safeguard and Restoration (MPSR) to guarantee respect for the rights and fundamental freedoms of all.
The Council asked the Secretary General to mobilize the Francophonie to support, at the political and technical levels, the transition process and the return to constitutional order in Burkina Faso.
The democracy and security deficit in the Francophone space will be on the agenda for discussion at the 40th Session of the Ministerial Conference of La Francophonie (CMF), to be held on March 16, 2022 in Paris.
TE/fss/as/APA