Burkina Faso’s military leader, Captain Ibrahim Traoré, dismissed Prime Minister Apollinaire Joachim Kyelem de Tambela and dissolved the government on Friday, according to a presidential decree reported by AFP.

“The prime minister’s official functions are terminated,” the decree stated, adding that the outgoing government would manage “ongoing business” until a new cabinet is formed. No reason was provided for the dismissal of Tambela, who had served as head of three successive governments since his appointment in October 2022, following Traoré’s coup.

Burkina Faso has faced significant political instability since January 2022, when Lieutenant-Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba ousted elected President Roch Marc Christian Kaboré. Just eight months later, Damiba himself was overthrown by Traoré, now 36, who leads the junta. Damiba currently resides in exile in Togo.

Under Traoré, Burkina Faso’s junta has emphasized reclaiming national sovereignty and frequently criticized Western powers, particularly France. The country has pivoted towards Russia and aligned itself with fellow Sahel nations Mali and Niger, both governed by military juntas after coups since 2020. In September, the three nations formed the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), severing ties with France and distancing themselves from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), which they accused of serving Paris’s interests.

Foreign Minister Karamoko Jean-Marie Traoré recently asserted that cooperation with Russia was more beneficial than maintaining historic ties with France. Moscow has sent military instructors to Burkina Faso and other African countries to assist in combating Islamist violence.

Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger continue to face jihadist insurgencies that originated in northern Mali in 2012 and spread regionally by 2015. The violence has displaced two million people and claimed over 26,000 lives, according to the monitoring group ACLED.