Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the acceptability of the announced three-year transition period prior to elections in Burkina Faso following the coup of January 2022; and what steps she is taking to engage with (a) partner countries in the region, (b) ECOWAS and (c) the African Union following that announcement.

I refer the Honourable Member to the answer of 2 March 2022 to question 127412 with regards to the situation in Burkina Faso. We are monitoring the political and security situation closely, and working with partners, including the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the African Union, to encourage continued dialogue around a mutually acceptable timeframe for elections.

I set out the UK's continued support for regional mediation efforts by ECOWAS in a meeting with ECOWAS President, Jean-Claude Kassi Brou, in Abuja on 22 February. I also discussed the situation in Burkina Faso with Ghana's Foreign Minister, Shirley Botchwey, in Accra on 24 February.