BURKINA FASO: LAWS PASSED TO DEFINE MILITARY

UNCLAS OUAGADOUGOU 001089 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: MCAP PGOV PHUM PREL UV SUBJECT: BURKINA FASO: LAWS PASSED TO DEFINE MILITARY PROMOTION SYSTEM AND RATIFICATION OF OPTIONAL PROTOCOL TO THE UN ANTI-TORTURE CONVENTION. ¶1. SUMMARY: The Burkina Faso National Assembly recently adopted two key laws aimed at furthering the professionalization of its Armed Forces and ratifying the Optional Protocol to UN Convention Against Torture. END SUMMARY. ¶2. On November 3rd the Burkina Faso National Assembly voted into effect two news laws. The first aimed at heightening the professionalization of its Armed Forces by defining advancement criteria and seeking to end favoritism, and the second ratifying the Optional Protocol to the United Nations Convention Against Torture. ¶3. President of the National Assembly Rock Kabore presided over motion #36 that defines advancement within the Armed Forces of Burkina Faso. The Minister delegate for Parliamentary Relations, Mrs. Cecile Beloum, and the Minister of Defense Mr. Yero Boly were present to explain and defend the proposed law. According to them, the Burkina Faso Armed Forces (Forces Armees Nationales or FAN) are growing quickly and the promotion system needs to be redefined in order to be as transparent as possible. Laid out in three sections, four chapters and forty-eight articles, the law outlines proposed additions and changes to the current promotion practice. The law, which will not be retroactive, will, among other measures, ensure there is more coherence and equality in the advancement opportunities for recruits, most notably a fairer treatment of civilian recruits possessing university degrees. The sentiment up to now was that qualified civilian military recruits were less recognized, and promoted less quickly than graduates of military academies with equal or lesser degrees and potential. Motion #36 was unanimously voted into law. ¶4. The second law, proposed by the Commission for Foreign Affairs and Defense (Commission des Affaires Etrangeres et de la Defense -- CAED),pertains to the ratification of the Optional Protocol to the United Nations Convention Against Torture and other Cruel, Inhumane or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. This Convention aims to prevent the use of torture in detention centers, and authorizes, among other provisions, the access to those detention centers by Committee members. The parliament noted that the UN Convention Against Torture had the same aims and principles as Burkina Faso's own anti-torture objectives (Note. Only twelve other African countries have signed this Convention. End Note.) The ratification of the Convention was approved unanimously by the Burkinabe parliamentarians and now needs to be officially signed into effect by President Compaore. HANKINS