Burkina Faso / President Ibrahim Traoré continues his efforts to improve the prison system : Establishment of a military penitentiary facility
President Ibrahim Traoré is decisively committed to modernizing and improving the country’s prison system. In this regard, during Thursday’s Council of Ministers meeting, a decree was adopted to officially establish a military penitentiary facility in Ouagadougou.
This decree represents a significant revision of the initial 2009 text that established a military penitentiary facility in the Burkinabe capital. Since its establishment, the capacity of the Army Correctional and Detention Center (MACA) has not experienced significant growth, resulting in enormous challenges for the military penitentiary administration.
The lack of appropriate infrastructure and the cramped conditions for housing inmates have been major obstacles. These precarious conditions do not allow for compliance with the directives of judicial bodies aimed at preventing contact between certain inmates, thus compromising the safety and well-being of both inmates and penitentiary staff.
One of the main advancements of this new decree lies in the flexibility granted to the Minister of Defense. The minister is now authorized to annex, as needed, additional premises to MACA, beyond the current facilities. This provision demonstrates a willingness to adapt to the changing challenges of the prison system and a proactive approach to meeting the growing needs of the inmate population.
This initiative marks an important step in Burkina Faso’s ongoing efforts to address the persistent challenges of its prison system. By providing adequate infrastructure and a flexible approach to inmate management, the government demonstrates its commitment to ensuring the security, dignity, and fundamental rights of all individuals, even in situations of incarceration.
