3 (EUROPE PRESS)
Lieutenant Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba, leader of the military junta in Burkina Faso, wished luck to Captain Ibrahim Traoré, leader of the coup perpetrated on Friday in the African country and who has been designated “provisional head of state” after his resignation.
“To the new authorities of Faso: I wish you success. I invite you to work, especially to unite instead of dispersing and to assume your responsibilities,” he declared in a speech recorded and published on his official Facebook profile.
Damiba explained that, “before the risk of division” within the Army, he made the decision to resign due to the insecurity in the country. In this sense, he has mentioned the attack by armed groups on a road near the town of Gaskindé, about twenty kilometers from Djibo, which resulted in the death of at least ten soldiers.
“Some units of our military forces, with civilian and political sympathizers, driven by individualistic, subjective motivations and taking advantage of certain frustrations and claims that should be able to find solutions in other consultation frameworks, massively converged on sensitive areas. The declared objective was clear: to interrupt the transition,” he explained.
The seven conditions set by Damiba to resign included the continuation of operational activities against jihadism, security guarantees for his person, the effort of national reconciliation and respect for the commitments with the Economic Community of West African States with a view to a transition process.
Damiba, as previously reported by the Radio France International station, has fled the country for Togo, an arrival that has been confirmed by Togolese government sources hours after signing his resignation.
Traoré was appointed on Sunday as “provisional head of state” after Damiba’s resignation, after which the board announced that a meeting with the “active forces of the nation” will be launched in the coming days or weeks to address the readjustment of the transition.
The country has been controlled by a military junta since January after Damiba’s coup against the then president, Roch Marc Christian Kaboré, following a military mutiny in protest at insecurity and the lack of means to confront jihadism.
Burkina Faso has generally experienced a significant increase in insecurity since 2015, with attacks carried out by both the Al Qaeda affiliate and the Islamic State affiliate, causing a wave of internally displaced persons and refugees towards other countries of the region.
