Burkina Faso: Disciplinary proceedings for ex-PM Isaac Zida

Burkina Faso president Christian Kaboré has ordered for disciplinary procedures to be opened against former Prime Minister General Isaac Zida, who’s now seeking refuge in Canada.

According to military sources Zida could face “desertion during peacetime and disobedience” charges. A Burkinabe defence official said this will be a disciplinary procedure, normally carried out on military personel in unauthorized absence.

The military court could try him in absentia.

Zida joined his family in Canada in January at the end of the transition in December 2015, with permission issued by the President Kaboré. The permission however expired on February 15, and Zida has not heeded to return summons.

Cases for thirty-two ministers from the previous government including Zida are expected to be heard, for their alleged involvement in the 2014 short-lived coup. Eight Compaore-era cabinet members and the transitional government officials are targeted by an investigation into alleged embezzlement of public finances and illicit enrichment.

Nearly half of the population of Burkina Faso, a producer of gold and cotton, live in poverty, according to the World Bank.