Following a ministerial reshuffle on Wednesday, June 30, 2021, the government of Burkina Faso recorded the departures of Chériff Sy and Ousséni Compaoré, previously in charge of Defense and Security.
Roch Kaboré has been given the portfolio of Defense where he is assisted by Colonel Major Barthélémy Simporé as Minister Delegate to the President of Faso, in charge of National Defense and Veterans.
Mr. Maxime Koné, previously Minister Delegate in charge of the Burkinabe of Integration becomes Minister of Security. Note that in 2019, while he was president of the Commission on General Affairs, Institutions and Human Rights (CAGIDH) of the National Assembly, Maxime Koné published his first book entitled “Chronique sécuritaire 2019 au Burkina Faso”.
Maxime Koné was replaced by Clarisse Mérindol née Ouoba, a law professor at Thomas Sankara University and former chief of staff to Rosine Coulibaly Sory at the Ministry of Finance.
This reshuffle comes 72 hours after the President of Faso’s address to the nation, in which he asked the political opposition to postpone its marches and meetings scheduled for July 3 and 4, 2021.
The opposition had demanded the departure of Prime Minister Christophe Dabiré and Defense Minister Chériff Sy at the end of a national political dialogue held from June 17 to 19 in light of the deteriorating security situation.