Burkina Faso’s military-led government has taken a major step toward reinstating the death penalty, approving a bill that would restore capital punishment for offences including treason, terrorism and espionage. The decision, announced after a Council of Ministers meeting, signals a sharp reversal from the country’s 2018 abolition of the death penalty.
Justice Minister Edasso Rodrigue Bayala said the proposal forms part of wider justice-sector reforms the junta claims are necessary to strengthen state authority and combat rising security threats. The bill must still clear parliament and constitutional review before it can take effect, though both processes are now heavily influenced by the military authorities.
The move comes against a backdrop of escalating political restrictions since the 2022 coup. Elections have been repeatedly postponed, the electoral commission dissolved, and media freedoms severely constrained. Several international media outlets have been suspended, while local journalists have faced arrests under tightened state controls.
Burkina Faso is one of several West African states where military governments have risen to power on the back of public dissatisfaction with insecurity and perceived failures of elected administrations. Critics warn that reinstating the death penalty further entrenches the regime’s authoritarian trajectory, while supporters argue it strengthens the state’s deterrence capacity in the face of persistent extremist violence.
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