Burkina Faso's military junta sacks prime minister, dissolves government
OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso (AP): Burkina Faso’s ruling military junta issued a decree Friday dismissing Prime Minister Apollinaire Joachim Kyelem de Tambela and announcing the dissolution of the national government.
The military’s leader, Ibrahim Traore, said officials in the dissolved government will continue to perform their duties until a new government is formed. No reason was given for the move.
The junta in Burkina Faso seized power in September 2022 by ousting the military rule of Lt. Col. Paul Henri Sandaogo Damiba about eight months after it staged a coup to remove democratically elected President Roch Marc Kaboré.
The country is one of several West African nations where the military has recently taken over, capitalizing on popular discontent with previous democratically elected governments over security issues.
However, since its inception, the junta has struggled to end Burkina Faso’s security challenges — the very reason that it claimed had prompted it to take power.
Growing attacks by extremists linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group have devastated Burkina Faso where thousands have been killed in recent years and more than 2 million people have been displaced, half of them children.
Around half of Burkina Faso’s territory remains outside of government control, analysts say.
The country’s transitional government has been running under a constitution approved by a national assembly that included army officers, civil society groups and traditional and religious leaders.
Under pressure from West Africa’s regional bloc known as ECOWAS, the junta had set a goal to conduct an election in July to return the country to democratic rule. However, in May it extended its transition term for five more years, the duration of one presidential term.
Alongside the coup-hit nations of Niger and Mali, Burkina Faso has severed ties with longstanding Western and regional partners, including former colonial ruler France and the regional bloc of ECOWAS, which they quit early this year.
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1,850 missing mobile phones recovered as Delhi Police focusses on victim-centric policing
New Delhi (PTI): Delhi Police has recovered 1,850 stolen and lost mobile phones worth around Rs 4 crore in past 40 days under "Mission Reconnect", an initiative aimed at returning phones to their rightful owners in outernorth Delhi, an official said on Saturday.
The recovered phones were traced from different parts of the country, including remote areas, through technical surveillance and sustained field operations, police said, adding that the devices were handed over to their owners during a programme at the Sports Ground, New Police Lines, Kingsway Camp.
The initiative focused on a victim-centric approach and aimed at strengthening public trust through proactive policing and coordinated efforts across states, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Outernorth) Hareshwar Swami said.
As part of the programme, teams performed 'nukkad nataks' and screened awareness videos on cybercrime, drug abuse prevention, and senior citizen safety, sensitising the public about digital frauds and safety measures, officials said.
The initiative combines technology, investigation and community participation to ensure recovery of lost property and reconnect citizens with their valuables, they added.
