After an eventful day in the nation’s capital of Ouagadougou marked by gunfire and confusion, a new military takeover has been declared in Burkina Faso. The nation’s land and air borders have been sealed, and the constitution has been put on hold.
After an eventful day in the nation’s capital of Ouagadougou marked by gunfire and confusion, a new military takeover has been declared in Burkina Faso. The nation’s land and air borders have been sealed, and the constitution has been put on hold.
This is Burkina Faso’s second military takeover in a year, with the constitution and government suspended.
Sorgho read a communiqué from Traore announcing the modifications while being accompanied by more than a dozen military personnel. Additionally, he charged Damiba with “betraying” the military’s intention to reestablish national security.
Sorgho stated, “We have tried numerous times to refocus the transition on the issue of security in light of the deterioration of the security situation in Burkina Faso.He added, “Lt. Col. Damiba’s risky decisions have increasingly weakened our security apparatus.”
Previous attempts to quell the uprising seem to have failed. The junta’s leaders earlier on Friday explained the situation as the result of “a mood swing” among some military members and stated that talks were in progress after residents of the capital city of Ouagadougou woke up to the sounds of gunfire.
Damiba stated on Facebook at the time, “The enemy that is attacking our country only wants to create division by many Burkinabes to accomplish its destabilization.”
On Friday, normal street activity was visible, but loud gunfire could be heard coming from the city’s main military camp and some of its residential areas. Armed soldiers were seen setting up shop along the avenue that leads to the White House and obstructing access to government offices and public broadcasting stations.
After the military overthrew the previous government and removed Roch Kabore as president on January 24, Damiba assumed control.
After years of violence committed by Islamist militants affiliated with al Qaeda and the Islamic State, he vowed to reestablish security. However, his government had trouble delivering. Attacks continue, and the army is a mess.
Eleven soldiers were killed this week when unidentified attackers attacked a convoy of 150 vehicles carrying supplies to a town in northern Burkina Faso. There are fifty missing civilians.
Since 2018, a sizable portion of the north and east have become ungoverned. Millions have left their homes out of fear of further armed robberies by men on motorcycles who frequently target rural areas. Attacks have claimed thousands of lives.
The violence, which started in neighboring Mali in 2012 and has since spread throughout the arid Sahel region south of the Sahara Desert, has now spread to the West African nation, one of the poorest nations in the world.