Burkina Faso Seeks to Reinstate Death Penalty, Says Gov't Source

Photo : AFP

Burkina Faso’s military regime is considering reinstating the death penalty, a government source confirmed on Saturday. This move comes after the West African country abolished capital punishment in 2018. The last execution in Burkina Faso took place on September 19, 1988, when four individuals were executed for attempting to overthrow then-President Blaise Compaoré. Those executed included the defense minister, Jean-Baptiste Boukary Lingani, and the minister of economic promotion, Henri Zongo, alongside two unnamed individuals accused of plotting a coup.

A government source stated that the reintroduction of the death penalty is "being considered" and that the decision will be discussed by the government before a proposal is made to the Transitional Legislative Assembly for adoption. 

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Justice Minister Rodrigue Bayala also addressed the issue on Friday, stating that the death penalty would be part of the upcoming draft of the criminal code, which is currently under review. He suggested that further amendments to the criminal code may be made to align with the vision of the current head of state, Capt. Ibrahim Traoré, who took power in a coup in September 2022.

Burkina Faso’s government has been under military rule since Captain Traoré’s rise to power, and in May 2024, it announced that the military junta’s rule would be extended for another five years, despite earlier promises to restore civilian governance by July 1, 2024. The regime also passed legislation in May to ban homosexuality, further consolidating its power. 

Amnesty International has observed a rise in the use of the death penalty across Africa, with recorded executions more than tripling and the number of death sentences increasing significantly by 66% in the last year. However, many African countries are moving towards abolition. In sub-Saharan Africa, 24 countries have abolished the death penalty for all crimes, while two more have done so for ordinary crimes only. Notably, Kenya and Zimbabwe are considering bills to abolish capital punishment for all crimes, while Gambia is in the process of amending its constitution to effectively end the death penalty.

This shift towards the reinstatement of the death penalty in Burkina Faso marks a significant policy reversal, and the discussion of this issue remains a contentious one, both within the country and on the global stage.