Burkina Faso’s Kabore will grapple with diverse crises

Significance

It retains the same prime minister and about half the previous members, but also features a notable addition -- former opposition leader Zephirin Diabre, who heads up a new national reconciliation portfolio. Diabre’s appointment has dominated subsequent public debate, but wider challenges loom large, not least a long-running jihadist insurgency, the COVID-19 pandemic and a struggling economy.

Impacts

• The CDP, the former ruling party of Blaise Compaore, faces a difficult challenge in deciding how it may lead a diminished opposition.
• Kabore’s affirmation that this will be his final mandate stands out in a region where term limits are being undermined.
• New corruption scandals could stoke public anger and undermine the government's touted reform mantra.