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 obtained by AFP. No explanation was provided for the decision, which comes over a year after Kyelem de Tambela assumed the role following Traoré's coup in October 2022.

The decree stated that members of the dissolved government would continue handling "ongoing business" until a new administration is formed. Kyelem de Tambela had led three successive governments during his tenure, surviving several reshuffles before his dismissal.

Burkina Faso has faced repeated political upheaval. A January 2022 coup ousted elected President Roch Marc Christian Kaboré, bringing Lieutenant-Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba to power. Damiba was himself overthrown eight months later by Traoré, now 36, who became Africa's youngest military leader.

The country is one of three in the Sahel region—alongside Mali and Niger—governed by military juntas. It has been gripped by escalating jihadist violence since 2015, with attacks forcing nearly two million people to flee their homes and claiming over 26,000 lives, according to data from monitoring group ACLED.

The military government has struggled to contain the violence, which poses ongoing challenges to stability and governance. Alongside internal security concerns, the country must now navigate the formation of a new government amid its ongoing fight against extremist groups.

This latest political shift underscores the fragile state of leadership in Burkina Faso as it faces deepening security and humanitarian crises.