OUAGADOUGOU: The President of Faso, Captain Ibrahim Traoré, presided over the weekly Council of Ministers meeting, where significant reforms were enacted to enhance the efficiency and local integration of Burkina Faso’s armed forces and judicial system. The Council approved a draft law aimed at addressing deficiencies in the General Status of National Armed Forces personnel and introduced new regulations mandating the use of locally produced Faso Dan Fani fabric for courtroom attire.
According to Burkina Information Agency, the Council of Ministers, under the Ministry of Defense and Veterans Affairs, endorsed the draft law to consolidate existing legislation governing the armed forces. Divisional Commissioner of Police, Mahamadou Sana, acting as the Minister of Defense, announced the merger of two existing laws into a single comprehensive law. Key changes include reducing the legal length of service for non-commissioned soldiers from eighteen to twelve months and reestablishing the category of non-commission
ed soldiers within the National Gendarmerie hierarchy. The reform also introduces “posthumous advancement” to honor the contributions of soldiers in internal operations.
Minister Sana further detailed that the promotion cycle for eligible personnel would be shortened to two semesters, commencing on January 1 and July 1, instead of the previous quarterly schedule. Additionally, the decree opens opportunities for officers from the ranks to ascend to all officer categories, allowing chief warrant officers with at least three years of seniority to be appointed as officers.
In the judicial sector, the Council adopted decrees concerning the attire for magistrates and clerks, specifying that these uniforms be made entirely from Burkinabe cotton, known as Faso Dan Fani. Minister of Justice Edasso Rodrigue Bayala emphasized the participatory nature of the process and mentioned ongoing discussions with other legal professions to adopt the locally produced fabric. Bayala noted that the new court uniforms are significa
ntly more cost-effective, being “five times cheaper” than previously imported attire.
