Burkina Faso:
On Friday night, armed soldiers in uniforms and masks in Burkina Faso appeared on TV to confirm the overthrow of President Paul-Henri Damiba.
The announcement capped off a day that began with shootings near military camps in the capital Ouagadougou, explosions near the presidential palace and interruptions to state television.
A pattern that has become increasingly well-known in West and Central Africa over the past two years has seen Islamist rebels wreak havoc across the arid expanses of the Sahel, killing thousands. , because it undermines confidence in weak governments that have failed to take action. Support them hitting the back.
Mali, Chad, and Guinea have all seen coups since 2020, raising fears of a fallback to military rule in regions that have become democratized over the past decade.
Burkina Faso's new leader is Army Captain Ibrahim Traoré. In a scene mimicking Damiba's seizure of power in the 24 January coup, Traoré appeared on television surrounded by soldiers to announce the dissolution of the government, the suspension of the constitution and the closure of borders. He imposed a curfew.
As of Friday night, Damiva's whereabouts were unknown.
According to Traoré, the police group that helped Damiba to power in January decided to sack his leader after failing to deal with the Islamists. Damiba ousted former president Roque Cabore for the same reason.
“Due to the worsening situation, we have tried several times to force Damiva to refocus on the transition to security issues,” read a statement signed by Traoré, read by another official on TV. Damiba rejected suggestions by officials to reorganize the army and instead continue the military structure that led to the fall of the previous government, according to a statement.
"Damiba's actions gradually convinced me that his ambitions undermined what we were trying to do. We made the decision today to eliminate Damiba," it said.
State stakeholders will soon be invited to adopt a new transitional charter and appoint a new civilian or military president, it said. Civilians welcome the military government and hope it may be more successful in containing the riots than its democratically elected predecessor.
Burkina Faso has been the epicenter of violence by groups linked to al Qaeda and the Islamic State that began in neighboring Mali in 2012 and spread to other Western countries.