Burkina Faso army captain announces overthrow of government
Borders have been closed indefinitely and all political activities are suspended
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Members of Burkina Faso’s army have announced that they have ousted the country’s leader Paul Henry Sandaogo Dambiba and dissolved government.
After seizing control of state television in Ouagadougou, the spokesman introduced Capt. Ibrahim Traore as the new head of the volatile West African country that is battling a mounting Islamic insurgency.
Traore announced that borders were closed indefinitely and all political and society activities were suspended.
Traore said that a group of officers had decided to remove Damiba due to his inability to deal with the Islamist insurgency.
Damiba and his allies overthrew the democratically elected president only nine months ago, coming to power with promises of make the country more secure. However, violence has continued unabated and frustration with his leadership has grown in recent months.
The whereabouts of coup leader-turned president Lt. Col. Paul Henri Sandaogo Damiba were not immediately known but a statement from his government on Facebook urged people to remain calm.
“Negotiations are underway to bring back calm and serenity,” said the statement attributed to the presidency spokesman. “The enemy attacking our country only wants division between Burkinabes.”
The uncertainty carried on into the late afternoon as the West African nation’s residents awaited word on who was in control of the country, which is destabilized by a growing Islamic insurgency. The United Nations voiced concern and appealed for calm.
“Burkina Faso needs peace, it needs stability, and it needs unity in order to fight terrorist groups and criminal networks operating in parts of the country,” U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.
Constantin Gouvy, Burkina Faso researcher at Clingendael think tank, said Friday’s events “follow escalating tensions within the ruling MPSR junta and the wider army about strategic and operational decisions to tackle spiralling insecurity”.
“Members of the MPSR increasingly felt Damiba was isolating himself and casting aside those who helped him seize power,” Gouvy said.
The U.N.’s Dujarric said that on the humanitarian front Burkina Faso “continues to confront multi-dimensional crises as insecurity is growing.”
“Nearly one-fifth of the national population urgently needs humanitarian aid,” he said. “The number of security incidents increased by 220% in 2022, compared to last year.”
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments