– The situation is under control. We ask you to return to normal activities and refrain from all forms of violence and destruction. Do not go loose on the embassy or military bases, an unnamed officer said on state television. Next to him stood Ibrahim Traore, the captain who on Friday declared that the head of the sitting military junta had been deposed and that he had taken power himself. The French embassy has been under attack for the past 24 hours. Burkina Faso was a French colony until the country became independent in 1960, but the French influence is still strong. Facts about Burkina Faso Former French colony in West Africa bordering Mali, Niger, Benin, Ivory Coast, Ghana and Togo. 17.3 million inhabitants. Capital: Ouagadougou. One of the world’s least economically developed countries. Few natural resources. Blaise Compaoré became president after a coup in 1987. He was re-elected four times, most recently in 2010. Compaoré fled the country after large demonstrations in 2014 and the army seized power. Compaoré is internationally wanted for premeditated murder, and currently lives in exile in neighboring Ivory Coast. When Burkina Faso elected a new president in November 2015 for the first time in 30 years, Campaore’s former prime minister Roch Marc Kabore (58) walked away with the victory. Source: NTB/news On Saturday evening, shots were fired and barricades outside the embassy were set on fire. On Sunday morning, the building was peppered with stones. Finally, tear gas was fired from inside the embassy area at the protesters. French military bases and cultural institutes have also been attacked. On Friday evening, a group of soldiers appeared on national television in Burkina Faso and declared a military coup in the country. This is the second military coup in the country in eight months. Photo: AP / AP Coup colleague Protesters took to the streets after military captain Ibrahim Traore declared the seizure of power on Friday night. Earlier in the day, shooting was reported at the presidential palace in the capital, Ouagadougou. Several main roads in the big city were blocked by soldiers and state television went black. Traore said Paul-Henri Damiba, the lieutenant colonel who spearheaded the January 24 military coup, had been thrown out. It was further stated that the constitution had been suspended, the borders closed and the government dissolved. A man waves a Burkina Faso flag on Friday, September 30. Photo: OLYMPIA DE MAISMONT / AFP Deposed president in January Ibrahim Traore has sat in the military junta led by Paul-Henri Damiba. Traore said the weak security situation in the West African country made the change of power necessary. He claims Damiba has not been able to crack down on the armed Islamists, who create fear and unrest in the Sahel region and who also attack Burkina Faso. Just last week, 11 soldiers were killed in an attack in the north of the country. Many civilians are still not accounted for. In January this year, Damiba, together with a close circle of officers, deposed the president-elect Roch Marc Christian Kabore. Even then, the reason was the unsuccessful fight against the Islamists. Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba Photo: BURKINA FASO PRESIDENCY / Reuters Fears great power rivalry Traore accuses Damiba of seeking protection at a French military base and that he had asked France for help in “a counter coup”. This is rejected by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs. France has special forces stationed in the country to assist the country’s military. A few hours before the takeover was announced on Friday, there were large demonstrations in the capital. The protesters demanded Damiba’s resignation, an end to the French military presence and military cooperation with Russia. Some carried Russian flags with them. Traore said in his “coup speech” that the country must seek other partners in the fight against the Islamists. Although the captain did not mention Russia by name, analysts fear that “other partners” are precisely Russia and the notorious Wagner group, as seen in Mali. Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba, for his part, has declared that he does not intend to give up power and asks the younger officers to come to their senses. The country’s defense chief said on Saturday evening that dialogue is ongoing to resolve the situation. Both the UN, the African Union, the USA, the EU and the countries in the West African cooperation group Ecowas condemn what has happened in recent days. Close to two million2 million In the same way as in neighboring countries, rebels with ties to Al Qaeda and IS have caused unrest. The authorities have lost control over around 40 percent of the country. Over 2,000 people have been killed and close to 2 million have been displaced since 2015. In March 2018, there was also shooting near the French embassy. At least 28 people were killed in connection with the attack. Burkina Faso is one of the least developed in the world and struggles with hunger and an unpredictable climate. The country has a population of 20 million. Burkina Faso, a former French colony, became independent in 1960.
ttn-69