B.Faso to hold 2024 polls after coup –Junta leader
Burkina Faso’s new junta leader Captain Ibrahim Traore assured on Monday that the West African country will still hold an election by 2024 or even earlier.
Capt. Ibrahim Traore, Burkina Faso’s new Junta leader
The power grab by Captain Ibrahim Traore is the latest setback for the Regional block known as ECOWAS, which has tried to steer three of its 15 countries back toward democracy after a spate of coups in West Africa over the last two years.
Col. Paul-henri Sandaogo Damiba, Burkina Faso’s ousted Junta leader
Burkina Faso’s latest coup, announced Friday on state television, has raised rebellion fears that the country’s political chaos could produce more violence from the region’s Islamic extremists.
ECOWAS had reached an agreement with ousted leader Lt. Col. Paul Henri Sandaogo Damiba to hold a new vote by July 2024.
Damiba, who himself had seized power in a coup early this year, agreed to resign Sunday and left for the neighboring Togo.
In an interview with Radio France Internationale that aired Monday, new Junta leader Traore said the goal of an election by July 2024 is still possible.
“We hope that the return to normal constitutional order will take place even before that date if the situation allows it”.
Visit postponed
A visit from an ECOWAS delegation was postponed from Monday to Tuesday, local media reported.
Burkina Faso’s last democratically elected president was overthrown by Damiba in January amid frustrations that his government had not been able to stop extremist attacks.
However, the jihadi violence, which has killed thousands and forced 2 million to flee their homes, continued and has now brought an end to Damiba’s tenure.
The new leader told journalists over the weekend that conditions remained poor for soldiers in the field. Damiba had not done enough to improve that, he said.
“I go on patrol with my men and we don’t have the basic logistics,” he told Voice of America. “In some villages, the trees don’t have leaves because people eat the leaves.
They eat weeds. We’ve proposed solutions that will enable us to protect these people, but we are not listened to”.
In a video recorded after Damiba’s resignation Sunday, the ousted leader said the coup had left at least two people dead and nine wounded.
“In view of the risks of division within our army, and considering the higher interest of Burkina Faso, I have renounced my function as the head of state and president of the transition,” he said.
In recent days, Traore’s followers have waved Russian flags and called for military support to help fight the jihadis, as neighboring Mali has done with Russia’s Wagner Group.
However, those Russian mercenary forces have been accused of human rights abuses and some fear their involvement in Burkina Faso would only make things worse.
It remains to be seen whether Traore and his forces can turn around the crisis as international condemnation of the new coup mounts.
There is a good reason why you should support the African Editors. Not everyone can afford to pay for news right now. That is why we keep our journalism open for everyone to read, including in Ghana. If this is you, please continue to read for free. But if you are able to, then there are three good reasons to support us today.
1. Our quality, journalism is a scrutinising force at a time when the rich and powerful are getting away with more and more.
2. We are independent and have no billionaire owner pulling the strings, so your money directly powers our reporting.
3. It doesn’t cost much, and takes less time than it took to read this message.
Help power the African Editors' journalism for the years to come, whether with a small sum or a larger one. If you can, please support us on a monthly basis from just 1 Ghana Cedi through mobile money number: 0599896099/ +23359989609 and you can be rest assured that you’re making a big impact every single month in support of open, independent journalism. Thank you.
