Burkina Faso armed soldiers wearing fatigues and masks announced on television on Friday the dissolution of the government and the removal of the region's leader, President Paul-Henri Damiba, in the second coup in the troubled West African country this year.
The announcement capped the day that started with gunfire near a military camp in the capital of Ouagadougou, an explosion near the presidential palace, and disruptions to state television programming.
Burkina Faso Coup
The incident is the latest in a pattern that has become increasingly familiar in West and Central Africa in the last two years. It comes as Islamist insurgents continue to wreak havoc across the arid expanses of the Sahel region, killing thousands of people and eroding faith in weak governments that have not found a way to address the issue.
In 2020, Chad, Guinea, and Mali have all seen coups, raising fears of a backslide towards military rule in a region that has made significant democratic progress in the last decade. Army Captain Ibrahim Traore has become Burkina Faso's new leader, as per Reuters.
Traore appeared on television while surrounded by soldiers and announced the dissolution of the government, the suspension of the constitution, and the closure of the borders. The army captain also declared a nightly curfew over the region.
The captain said that a group of officers who assisted Damiba to seize power in a Jan. 24 coup had decided to remove their leader due to his inability to deal with the Islamists. The former president ousted his predecessor, Rock Kabore, for the same reason.
According to CNN, military official Kiswendsida Farouk Azaria Sorgho said that the people of Burkina Faso, who were faced with the degradation of the security situation, have attempted several times to refocus the transition on the issue of security. He added that the risky choices of Damiba resulted in the weakening of the region's security apparatus.
Security Concerns
On Friday prior to the coup, the junta's then-leaders explained that the situation of gunfire was a result of a "mood swing" among some military members. In a Facebook post at the time, Damiba said that the enemy that was attacking the country simply wanted to divide Burkinabes in their attempts of destabilization.
Eleven soldiers were killed during an attack on a 150-vehicle convoy by unknown assailants this week. The convoy was taking supplies to a town located in northern Burkina Faso and the attack left 50 civilians missing.
After the recent coup, Damiba's whereabouts are still unknown, with the United States chiming in and saying it was "deeply concerned" by events in the region. American officials urged U.S. citizens to limit movements in the country.
A State Department spokesperson said that the American government was calling for a return to calm and restraint by all actors in Burkina Faso. In a statement, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) condemned the move of the soldiers, stating that it "reaffirms its unreserved opposition to any taking or maintaining of the power by unconstitutional means, BBC reported.
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