Burkina Faso: Road checks reorganized to ease traffic flow and combat corruption
The Ministry of Security has announced a major reorganization of the road checkpoint system to facilitate free movement and reduce the harassment faced by road users. From now on, only 40 official checkpoints will be authorized on 15 main routes, compared to 385 recorded in November 2024. Any checkpoint set up outside this framework will now be considered illegal.
This measure was presented at a press conference held on Wednesday, September 24, 2025, by the National Coordination for Police Forces Control (CONACFP), under the leadership of Colonel Kanou Coulibaly. The aim of the meeting was to make public the new guidelines defined by the Minister of Security to streamline and improve the effectiveness of road checks.
Indeed, the proliferation of checkpoints in recent months had been deemed excessive and harmful to the free movement of people and goods. In November 2024, no fewer than 385 checkpoints had been identified on the country’s main routes, causing many inconveniences and raising suspicions of abusive practices.
To address this situation, a dynamic and adaptable system has been introduced. It will be adjusted monthly based on security needs. Two types of checks are now in effect. The first is documentary control, limited to verifying administrative documents such as the national identity card, driver’s license, vehicle registration, and insurance. The second is security control, focused on inspecting cargo, vehicles, and identifying passengers to prevent any threat to national security.
Between September 15 and October 14, 2025, only 40 checkpoints are authorized, including 9 dedicated exclusively to security purposes. Colonel Kanou Coulibaly stressed the importance of complying with these new measures, both for law enforcement officers and road users, in order to make controls fairer and more transparent. He also emphasized that citizens themselves are an essential link in the fight against road corruption and harassment.
