By Alpha Abu
Another coup has been reported in Burkina Faso, barely eight months after soldiers led by Lt. Colonel Paul-Henri Damiba toppled the civilian government of President Roch Marc Kabore’.
Soldiers in a televised address announced that a new military ruler Captain Ibrahim Traore was now in charge of the country. The latest coupist accused Damiba of prioritising politics at the expense of the security of Burkina Faso.
They have suspended the constitution and dissolved the transitional assembly. The whereabouts of Damiba were still unknown, but international news agencies reported gunfire around the Presidential palace and military barracks on Friday as soldiers blocked certain parts of the capital, Ouagadougou in events leading to the putsch.
The coup comes amidst reports of deteriorating security in especially the north of the country where the army has been battling Islamists for years now. The most recent attack last week, saw a 150-vehicle convoy guarded by the military, ambushed. Eleven soldiers were said to have died in the attack, whilst 50 civilians were reported missing.
The regional bloc ECOWAS has condemned the unfolding events in Burkina Faso, saying there was progress to return the country to constitutional rule. The body had earlier suspended the country’s membership following the overthrow of President Kabore’ on the 24th of January this year.
Millions of people have been uprooted from their homes in the landlocked country because of the attacks by the jihadists, who are said to now control huge swathes of the countryside.
The latest military takeover is the fifth to be experienced in West Africa in 18 months, with Guinea accounting for one, whilst the other four are split evenly between Burkina Faso and Mali.
Mali, Guinea, and Burkina Faso are all former French colonies and there are concerns that the democratic gains made in the region over the years are being eroded by this spate of coups.
Copyright © 2022 Politico Online (03/10/22)
