Burkina Faso / FASO BƱ-KAOORE: A major step towards bringing justice closer to the people

The Burkinabe authorities have just taken a historic step. With the adoption of a decree on the modalities for designating members of traditional dispute resolution bodies, the country now has a concrete tool to operationalize Law No. 003-2026/ALT of January 14, 2026, entitled “FASO BƱ-KAOORE”. This advance, as discreet as it is profound, promises to revolutionize access to justice for millions of Burkinabe citizens.

Until now, formal justice, with its delays, costs, and geographic distance, remained out of reach for a large segment of the population, particularly in rural areas.

 The new decree fills this void. It precisely determines the method of designating members of these bodies at the village and city-sector levels.

The innovation is major: these elders and conciliators will not be imposed by the administration.

They will be designated “according to the customs and traditions of each locality.”

By relying on local traditions, the Burkinabe State recognizes the deep legitimacy of endogenous conflict resolution mechanisms.

Land disputes, family disagreements, neighborhood conflicts, or inheritance matters: all these types of cases will now find a swift and mutually acceptable resolution without further clogging the conventional court system.

The scope of this unprecedented initiative is threefold. First, it decentralizes justice.

Every village, every urban sector will be able to count on bodies rooted in reality, speaking the language of the litigants, and understanding their lived experiences.

Second, it relieves congestion in the formal judicial system, allowing magistrates to focus on the most serious or complex cases.

Finally, it promotes social peace: justice rendered by peers, according to known and accepted rules, is justice that durably eases tensions.

By operationalizing “FASO BƱ-KAOORE”, the government is not merely applying a law.

It is inventing a new articulation between modernity and tradition.

Far from renouncing the rule of law, this institutionalized traditional justice complements and embeds it.

It is a bold gamble: trusting communities to resolve their own disputes, while framing them with a clear and precise decree.

For the Burkinabe litigant, this promises justice that is closer, faster, and more humane.

For the country, it is a decisive step toward strengthened social cohesion. The Council of Ministers can be proud of having taken this foundational act.

Papa IBRAHIMA