OUAGADOUGOU — Boureima Sanga, a magistrate of exceptional rank, resigned from the Autonomous Union of Magistrates of Burkina (SAMAB) on Tuesday, expressing dissatisfaction with the union’s actions regarding the election for the Superior Council of the Judiciary (CSM).
According to Burkina Information Agency, Sanga criticized SAMAB’s decision to boycott the CSM election, highlighting the negative consequences this could have on the justice system, including delays in the integration of justice auditors and the functioning of courts due to staffing issues, as well as barriers to magistrates’ advancement. “The non-functioning of the CSM is causing and will cause more harm to the magistrates that you are supposed to defend as a union, but also to the Burkinabe people who have the right to expect optimal functioning of their justice system,” Sanga wrote in a letter to Bruno T. Zabsonré, the union’s secretary general.
Sanga accused the union, particularly its leadership, of being an “instrument of manipulation” to satisfy personal agendas. He stressed that the union’s call for a boycott contradicted the responsibilities of magistrates to uphold the law. His resignation took effect immediately, signaling a significant rift within the magisterial community over the handling of judicial reforms and the electoral process.
This resignation comes against the backdrop of broader unrest within Burkina’s judicial unions. The inter-union of magistrates, which includes all magisterial unions, had previously withdrawn from participating in the CSM elections scheduled for June 29, 2024, to protest against what they termed “non-inclusive reforms” approved by the council of ministers.