Burkina Faso dissolves all political parties

Burkina Faso leader Captain Ibrahim Traore gives a news conference on October 2, 2022 in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. [AFP]

Junta-led Burkina Faso's parliament has dissolved all political parties, whose activities have been suspended since the military rulers seized power more than three years ago.

Under captain Ibrahim Traore, who led a coup in September 2022, the junta has muzzled critics, arresting dissidents or forcing them into fighting jihadists.

On Monday, the transitional parliament adopted a bill repealing the laws governing political parties and groups in the west African country, according to a legislative assembly statement seen by AFP on Tuesday.

Authorities unveiled the plan two weeks ago, arguing it was necessary for "national unity".

"The government believes that the proliferation of political parties has led to abuses, fuelled divisions among citizens and weakened the social fabric," the presidency said last month in a readout of a cabinet meeting.

United Nations rights chief Volker Turk has urged Burkina to reverse the decision to ban political parties and stop the repression of civic space.

Traore ousted Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba, who had only taken power nine months earlier in a previous military coup.

Under his leadership, political parties could not hold public meetings but were allowed to continue their activities.

Traore has made sovereignty his watchword, distancing Burkina from its former colonial ruler France and other Western powers.

The transition to democratic rule, initiated after the first coup in January 2022, was scheduled to end in July 2024.

But, the junta that year decided to extend the transition period by five years, allowing Traore to remain at the helm of the country, plagued by jihadist violence that has claimed thousands of lives for nearly 10 years.