Burkina Faso’s Ministry of Security has raised the alarm over reported corruption and racketeering linked to the “Laabal” card, a system intended to let drivers pay road fines. In a statement signed by Security Minister Mahamadou Sana, the ministry stressed that the card was designed to make life easier for road users not to serve as a tool of pressure during traffic checks.
According to citizen accounts, some officers carrying out roadside controls have used the “Laabal” card to coerce motorists and motorcyclists in breach of traffic rules.
The ministry said such behaviour contradicts the values of integrity, probity and social justice promoted by the Progressive Popular Revolution (RPP).
Sana recalled that the card was introduced specifically to avoid the systematic seizure of offenders’ vehicles.
It allows users to pay fines on a date of their choosing and is meant to help fight corruption in the road transport sector.
The card is therefore a facilitation tool for offenders, not an instrument of sanction or pressure, the ministry said, adding that community service should not be treated as its main purpose.
In response to the reported abuses, the ministry urged all concerned road users to systematically demand the “Laabal” card.
It described this as a civic act that could, according to the statement, count as a mitigating circumstance in the event of a dispute.
The ministry also reminded the public that roads are a space for civic behaviour, where users and security officers should treat each other with courtesy and mutual respect.
Security and social justice, it said, are built together through transparency and respect for the law.
Minister Sana renewed his encouragement to the Defence and Security Forces (FDS), praising their professionalism, integrity and daily commitment to protecting people and property across the country.
Papa Ibrahima
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