First modification:
Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba, who was deposed last Friday, agreed to resign and hand over power to captain Ibrahim Traoré. Before doing so, he installed seven conditions that were accepted, among which were the continuity of the stabilization process and commitments to ECOWAS. However, the African organization reiterated its concern. While the military discouraged aggression towards French entities.
This Sunday, October 2, the situation of tension in Burkina Faso evolved and is heading towards a resolution, with the consummation of the coup d’état perpetrated last Friday.
Lieutenant Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba agreed to resign in order to prevent the escalation of aggression and serious human and material losses, a gesture that consolidates Captain Ibrahim Traoré and his coup plotters in command.
Through the mediation of religious and community leaders, Damiba maintained contact with the leaders who carried out the uprising and informed them of his departure. However, he set seven conditions to step aside, which were accepted by the new Military Junta.
“President Damiba himself proposed his resignation to avoid clashes with serious human and material consequences,” the mediators said in a statement.
Among the requests was the “search for national reconciliation”, the continuation of the fight against jihadist terrorism, respect for the “compliance with the commitments made” with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and guarantees of security towards him and his collaborators.
The mediators detailed that Captain Traoré, 34 years old and president of the Patriotic Movement for Safeguarding and Restoration (MPSR, military junta), “accepted these seven conditions.” In turn, they called for “calm, moderation and prayer” for the African country, which is undergoing its second coup in eight months.
For their part, in a brief statement on state television RTB, the coup plotters reported that Traoré “is in charge of the daily affairs of the state until the swearing-in of the president of Burkina Faso appointed by the leading forces of the nation.”
The new transitional leader met with the general secretaries of the ministries to request continuity in the work, but at a higher rate. While he urged the protesters to stop the attacks against the French Embassy and related buildings.
The anti-French sentiment in the mobilizations spread after the coup plotters slipped that France was protecting Damiba and collaborating with him to plot a counteroffensive from the military base in Kamboinsin.
Faced with this situation, hundreds of civilians came out to repudiate French attitudes in the territory and asked for the support of Russian troops, who collaborate in neighboring Mali.
Risking a scenario out of control, Traoré attempted to qualify the accusations later on Saturday, telling France 24: “Is there a counter-offensive? Yes. Backed by France? I don’t think so.”
This Sunday, Traoré assured that “the situation is under control” and that they will gradually return “to normality”. In this sense, he announced the immediate reopening of the country’s air borders, closed since Friday.
In the letter, he did not give details about the land crossings, which have been closed to civilians since Saturday. This is not the case for humanitarian aid vehicles or vehicles that transport material for the defense forces.
Despite these policies, ECOWAS reiterated its “great concern” this Sunday and again insisted on “adherence to the calendar adopted by the summit of July 3, 2022, which provides for the return to constitutional order no later than July 1. July 2024”.
With EFE and Reuters
