Burkina Faso: French No Longer Official Language

In accordance with a draft law, French will no longer be the official language of Burkina Faso

This information was passed by justice minister, Edasso Rodrigue Bayala, at the end of the Council of Ministers meeting on Wednesday, December 6, 2023.

“In this draft text, the national languages are institutionalised as official languages and French remains a working language,” said the minister.

However, French will be used as a “working language”.

Following the report of the Council of Ministers, this bill “is part of the realization of one of the main missions of the transition which consists of initiating political, administrative and institutional reforms to strengthen the culture democratically and consolidate the rule of law.”

In August this year, the authorities in Ouagadougou denied the double taxation agreements with France – with their new status quo taking effect in October 2023.

Previously, they terminated the military agreements and demanded the withdrawal of the French embassy and troops from the country.

Captain Ibrahim Traoré, who came to power in September 2022, had promised a partial modification of the Constitution two months ago. The country has since then moved away from France, a former colonial power and historic partner, and edged closer to Russia.

It should be noted that since 2015, Burkina Faso has been hit by perpetrated violence from jihadist groups as well as neighbouring Mali and Niger and which has left more than 17,000 dead.

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