Burkina Faso’s president appoints new prime minister

By James Tasamba

KIGALI, Rwanda (AA) - Burkina Faso’s President Roch Kabore appointed new Prime Minister Lassina Zerbo to replace Joseph Marie Dabire who resigned Dec. 8, according to a statement late Friday.

Zerbo believes security is critical for the country’s development.

“There is no development without security and no security without development,” he told reporters.

“Once the conditions of security are met, access to low-cost nuclear energy is not only a right under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) but could be an opportunity for a country like Burkina Faso to meet demand,” he said.

Kabore sacked Dabire amid escalating insecurity that has killed thousands and led to protests calling for his resignation.

The president’s office said Kabore received a resignation letter from Dabire.

The resignation of a prime minister requires the resignation of the entire government, according to Burkina Faso law. But the outgoing government remains in a caretaker capacity until a new one is formed.

Before he was appointed head of government, Zerbo served as Executive Secretary of the Vienna-based Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO) from August 2013 until July 2021 before becoming Secretary Emeritus of the organization.

But prior to that, he served as Director of the International Data Centre at the Provisional Technical Secretariat of the CTBTO Preparatory Commission in Vienna.

The father of three is a graduate of universities in Burkina Faso and France.

He holds a doctorate in geophysics from the University of Paris-Sud in 1992 and a diploma of specialized higher studies (DESS) in applied geophysics from the University of Paris VI (Pierre & Marie Curie) in 1989.

He is believed to be competent in multilateral diplomacy and international relations.

An internationally renowned expert in applied geophysics, Zerbo has extensive experience as a researcher and teacher in airborne electromagnetic systems and airborne gravimetry.

Burkina Faso’s area bordering Mali and Niger regularly witnesses attacks by terrorists with links to the Daesh/ISIS terror group.​​​​​​​

More than 1.4 million people have been forced to flee their homes in Burkina Faso due to the attacks, while 480 civilians were killed in attacks orchestrated by insurgents between May and August, according to the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC).