Another military coup is underway in the African country of Burkina Faso, the second one in only eight months.
During an address on national television, Army Captain Ibrahim Traore announced that military leader Paul-Henri Damiba had been deposed, citing his inability to tackle rural ethnic conflicts and a long lasting Islamic insurgency. Traore also stated that the current government would be dissolved, as well as suspending the country’s constitution and transnational charter.
It’s now official: there is a #coup within a coup in #BurkinaFaso. Little is known about coup leader Ibrahim Traoré. What we do know is that the coup came amid spiralling tensions within #MPSR. Here’s a look at the main points from tonight’s announcement and what led to this ? pic.twitter.com/rli8RGg07T
— Constantin Gouvy (@ConstantinGouvy) September 30, 2022
Traore, surrounded by soldiers, said “In the face of the continuing deterioration of the security situation, we have repeatedly tried to refocus the transition on security issues,” adding that “Damiba’s actions gradually convinced us that his ambitions were diverting away from what we set out to do. We decided this day to remove Damiba.”
In January, President Roch Kabore was overthrown by military forces led by Damiba following mass protests calling for his resignation over his lack of action in confronting jihadist threats, which is what ultimately led to the latest coup. Following the January coup, the country was supposed to undergo a three year transition period where a new government would be established and elections would be held, but that is not the case now.
The situation is still developing and more updates are to come.
