Djibril Bassolé

Bassolé in 2008

Djibril Yipènè Bassolé (born November 30, 1957[1]) is a Burkinabé politician and diplomat. He served in the government of Burkina Faso as Minister of Security from November 2000 to June 2007 and as Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Cooperation from June 2007 to September 2008. Bassolé was the Joint African Union-United Nations Chief Mediator for Darfur from August 2008 to 2011, and he served in the government as Minister of Foreign Affairs for a second time from 2011 to 2014.

Career

Bassolé was born in Nouna and joined the military, rising through the ranks.[1][2] He was a member of the international committee for the monitoring of elections in Togo from 1993 to 1994,[3] and from 1994 to 1995 he was a member of the mediation committee working towards the resolution of the 1990–1995 Tuareg rebellion in Niger.[2][3]

From January 11, 1999 to January 12, 2000, he served in the government of Burkina Faso as Deputy Minister for Security. On November 12, 2000, he was promoted to the post of Minister of Security,[1] serving in that position until he was appointed as Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Cooperation in the government of Prime Minister Tertius Zongo on June 10, 2007; he replaced Youssouf Ouédraogo as Foreign Minister.[4]

On June 30, 2008, Bassolé was appointed as the Joint African Union-United Nations Chief Mediator for Darfur.[2][3] Prior to taking up the post, he made a preparatory visit to Sudan on July 20, meeting with Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir. During this visit, he said that he faced a difficult task in mediating between the Sudanese government and the Darfur rebels, but he said that it was "not mission impossible". Some believed that Bassolé's mission would be made more difficult by his inability to speak Arabic or English.[5] Bassolé took up his post as Chief Mediator on August 1, 2008,[6] and he was replaced as Burkinabé Foreign Minister in the government appointed on September 3, 2008.[7]

Bassolé returned to the Burkinabé government as Foreign Minister in 2011. On 9 May 2013, he passed out and collapsed while participating in a news conference in Ankara alongside Ahmet Davutoğlu, the Foreign Minister of Turkey. He was subsequently hospitalized.[8]

Following the ouster of President Compaoré in October 2014, Bassolé lost his ministerial post and a transitional government was set up. Bassolé subsequently planned to stand as a candidate in the October 2015 presidential election.[9]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 CV at the website of the Foreign Ministry at the Wayback Machine (archived December 9, 2007) (French).
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "Djibrill Bassolé", Jeune Afrique, August 3, 2008 (French).
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 "Secretary-General, African Union Commission chair, appoint Joint AU-UN Chief Mediator for Darfur, Djibril Yipene Bassole of Burkina Faso", United Nations Biographical Note, SG/A/1143, AFR/1724, BIO/3994, June 30, 2008.
  4. ↑ "Le nouveau gouvernement reste dominé par le parti au pouvoir", AFP, June 11, 2007 (French).
  5. ↑ "Darfur 'mission not impossible'", Reuters, July 20, 2008.
  6. ↑ "UN Renews Call for Peacekeepers in Sudan", Radio Vatican website, August 1, 2008.
  7. ↑ "Burkina Faso : Remaniement ministériel, la liste du nouveau gouvernement" Lefaso.net, September 5, 2008 (French).
  8. ↑ "Burkino Faso FM passes out in Turkey at briefing", Associated Press, 9 May 2013.
  9. ↑ "Djibrill Bassolé : "Oui, je vais annoncer ma candidature à la présidentielle"", Jeune Afrique, 9 April 2015 (French).
Preceded by
Youssouf Ouedraogo		 Foreign Minister of Burkina Faso
2007-2008 		Succeeded by
Alain Bédouma Yoda