In a move that has sparked concern among democracy advocates, Burkina Faso’s military government has announced it will extend its rule for another five years. The country’s ruler, Capt Ibrahim Traoré, will also be able to contest the next presidential election, according to the state-owned broadcaster.

The extension was announced on Saturday, after a national consultation meeting in the West African country’s capital city, Ouagadougou. An amended charter, signed by Capt Traoré, states that the new 60-month transition period will take effect from July 2 this year.

Elections may be organised before the deadline if the security situation permits, according to the charter. This development comes as a surprise, given Capt Traoré’s initial pledge to restore civilian rule by July 1 this year, nearly two years after he seized power in a coup.

Burkina Faso has been governed by its army since January 2022, when Lt Col Paul-Henri Damiba seized power from President Roch Kaboré. Col Damiba justified the coup by saying the previous government had failed to deal with growing militant Islamist violence. Since 2015, jihadist rebels affiliated with Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group have waged a grinding insurgency that has killed thousands and displaced millions.

Capt Traoré ousted Col Damiba in September 2022, arguing a second coup was necessary because Col Damiba was himself unable to tackle the insurgency. Capt Traoré promised to improve the country’s dire security situation within “two to three months” and restore civilian rule within 21 months. However, he has since warned that elections are not “a priority” until territory is recaptured from the jihadists so that everyone can vote.

Under the new charter, quotas will no longer be used to assign seats in the assembly to members of traditional parties. Instead, “patriotism” will be the only criteria for selecting deputies. The decisions made during Saturday’s national consultation happened swiftly, with local media reports indicating that political parties were absent at the start of the meeting.

International and human rights groups, including the European Union and UN, have accused Burkina Faso of serious human rights violations in its fight against Islamists, including the indiscriminate killings and forced disappearances of dozens of civilians.