Burkina Faso / Justice: Reforms to bring litigants closer together and speed up the processing of cases.
On the occasion of the 2026 Government Exhibition, the Minister of Justice, Comrade Edasso Rodrigue Bayala, appeared before the daughters and sons of the Nation to present the reforms undertaken to improve access to justice and reduce the time taken to process cases. This « Dialogue with the People » was an important platform for the government to report on the progress of reforms and respond to citizens’ concerns.
Minister Bayala highlighted the « Empty Lockers » operation, launched in 2025. In just 55 days, the courts dealt with more than 8,000 backlogs of cases, compared to the annual average of only about 7,000. To date, more than 18,000 procedures have been processed. The minister particularly stressed that, thanks to the improvement in the security situation, the courts of Djibo, Dori and Kongoussi have gradually returned to their original jurisdictions, allowing the justice system to once again cover areas that were inaccessible for a long time.
In terms of digitisation, the Ministry of Justice has rolled out several online services. The electronic criminal record has made it possible to issue more than 619,000 documents, and online services such as the electronic certificate of nationality have been very successful. Citizens can also submit and track certain court requests remotely via digital platforms, significantly reducing travel. Mr. Bayala announced that the digitization of administrative acts would be accelerated, while continuing the reform of the Penal Code and strengthening the collection of fines.
The most emblematic measure of this reform is the « Faso Bu Kaoré » law, adopted in January 2026. This text officially recognizes and provides a framework for the traditional mechanisms for resolving conflicts that have long been present in Burkina Faso. With around 95% of social disputes already resolved informally by traditional leaders, the new law gives these decisions legal value and has already enabled 499 customary courts across the country, well above the initial target of 100. The Minister insisted that these mechanisms give priority to mediation and conciliation, without imposing prison sentences or fines, and that they must respect the principles of the party’s will, fairness and adversarial process, in accordance with the Constitution and human rights standards.
In terms of financial recovery, Mr. Bayala presented impressive figures. Thanks to alternative measures to prosecution, the Ministry of Justice recovered 1.95 billion CFA francs in just six months in 2026, compared to 270 million for the entire period 2022-2024. In the broader field of fines and contentious debts, 10.38 billion CFA francs were mobilized between 2023 and 2025. In addition, with regard to the fight against terrorism and economic crime, the economic and anti-terrorist courts have imposed fines exceeding 41 billion CFA francs.
During this dialogue, Minister Bayala recalled that the central objective of these reforms is to ensure that justice « directly benefits the Burkinabe people » and that citizens truly understand « the meaning and action of justice in their country ».
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