Burkina Faso's Military Junta Leader Agrees To Step Down After Junior Officer's Coup

Burkina Faso's military junta leader, Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba, who was ousted in a coup on Friday, has agreed to step down after allegations of failed response to the region's security concerns.

Religious and community leaders said that the country's new self-declared leader, Capt. Ibrahim Traore had Damiba's resignation and the conditions he had set. The announcement of the move followed attacks on French institutions after reports that Damiba was sheltering at a French military base.

Burkina Faso's Military Junta Leader

The ousting of Damiba is the second coup this year in the region, the first was where the official replaced his predecessor. In both cases, the country's dire security situation and failure to address an Islamist insurgency were cited as the reasons for the takeovers.

Burkina Faso is in control of as little as 60% of its territory, experts say, and Islamist violence is considered to be worsening. The African Union had previously demanded the return of constitutional order by July 2023 at the latest, agreeing with the regional group Economic Community of West Africa States (ECOWAS) that the ousting of Damiba was "unconstitutional," as per BBC.

Earlier, ECOWAS said that it was "inappropriate" for army rebels to take control when the country was already working towards the civilian rule. On the other hand, despite his announcement, Damiba has not yet addressed the issue directly.

Religious and community leaders said that Damiba's resignation was made "in order to avoid confrontations with serious human and material consequences." They added that the official had set seven conditions for stepping down, which includes a guarantee of his security, an agreement to continue with efforts at national reconciliation, and continued respect for the guarantee of returning to civilian rule within two years.

According to France24, on Sunday, security forces fired tear gas at dozens of rock-throwing protesters outside the French embassy in the country's capital. The chaos at Ouagadougou was a result of accusations that Damiba was planning a counteroffensive to fight the coup.

Second Coup in a Year

In a statement broadcast on national television, an army officer said that they wanted to inform the population that the situation was under control and order was being restored following the unrest.

France, which is the former colonial power in Burkina Faso, denied "any involvement" in the coup. It also denied that "Burkinabe authorities have been hosted or are under the protection of the French military."

Damiba, in a written statement on the presidency's official Facebook page, urged his rivals to "come to their senses to avoid a fratricidal war that Burkina Faso doesn't need."

Traore was officially named the head of state after he accepted Damiba's conditions, calling on the population to exercise calm, restraint, and prayer. On Sunday, the pro-Traore military issued a statement saying that the military leader would remain in charge until the swearing-in of the president of Burkina Faso was designated by the region's active forces at an unspecified date.

The chaos at the region's capital also prompted new military spokesman Captain Kiswendsida Farouk Azaria Sorgho to call on the people of the nation to desist from any act of violence and vandalism, especially those toward the French embassy or the French military base, Aljazeera reported.