A major judicial reform aimed at clearing years of case backlogs began on Monday, August 11, 2025, at the Ouagadougou Court of Appeal.
The initiative, dubbed the “empty lockers” operation, seeks to expedite the resolution of 1,280 pending cases, in a move officials say will make justice more responsive to public needs.
The programme is part of a nationwide effort to address dormant and delayed files clogging the courts.
Director of Criminal Justice and the Seal, Dieudonné Bonkoungou, officially launched the appeal court phase, expressing gratitude to the Minister of Justice and Human Rights in charge of Relations with Institutions, Edasso Rodrigue Bayala, for championing the effort.
“We have noted that the population wants a justice system that processes cases quickly.
After noting the existence of a certain number of cases awaiting judgment in the courts, the Minister of Justice had the ingenious idea of initiating this special operation,” Bonkoungou said.
“This is to clear out the drawers of old files that hinder the daily functioning of the institution.”
The initiative began in February 2025 in Burkina Faso’s High Courts, processing approximately 8,185 cases so far.
For the Court of Appeal, an important innovation has been introduced: judges will now be able to preside over hearings individually, instead of in panels of three, allowing multiple sessions to take place simultaneously.
Under the new arrangement, three hearings will be held each day — two at the Court of Appeal’s main headquarters and one at the Ouaga 2 High Court.
The programme is set to run until November 22, 2025, with about 64 hearings scheduled across the appeal court’s jurisdiction.
Attorney General Désiré Pengwendé Sawadogo stressed the significance of applying the operation to appeals, noting that 11 localities under the Court’s jurisdiction — excluding Dori — will benefit.
“The Court will deploy in all these localities and in Ouagadougou. We are trained for this.
The hierarchy, the ministry encourage us, and all colleagues are committed to achieving this objective,” he said.
Officials hope the campaign will not only accelerate justice but also restore public confidence in the efficiency of the legal system.
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