The Chairperson of the African Union Commission, H.E. Moussa Faki Mahamat on Friday joined ECOWAS in condemning the recent coup in Burkina Faso, the second one to happen in the West African country this year.
According to reports on 30 September, the state broadcaster went offline as soldiers occupied the main streets and heavy gunfire was heard near the main military camp and residential areas of Burkina Faso’s capital Ouagadougou. Later that day, Captain Ibrahim Traore was announced the new military leader, immediately suspending the constitution and closing all land, sea, and air borders until further notice.
In a statement released on the same day, the AUC Chairperson expressed his dismay about the resurgence of unconstitutional changes of Government in Burkina Faso and elsewhere on the African Continent. The Lomé Declaration of the Year 2000; the African Charter on Democracy, Elections, and Governance; and the Accra Declaration on Unconstitutional Changes of Government were among the continental body’s instruments cited.
On Sunday, Burkina Faso’s military leader Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba ended an 8-month reign, agreeing to step down two days after military officers announced he had been removed from power.
The new self-proclaimed leader, Captain Ibrahim Traore said “Damiba himself offered his resignation in order to avoid confrontations with serious human and material consequences”, as quoted by the religious and community leaders in a statement.
Reports and images circulating on social media point out that the Embassy of France in Burkina Faso’s capital Ouagadougou was set on fire. Citizens carrying Russian and Burkina Faso flags stormed the premise and vandalized the entire building on Sunday.
In the ongoing protests in the streets of Ouagadougou, the protesters are said to be marching in solidarity with the new ruler, demanding France’s exit from the West African country, and the West African state to turn to Russia for peace and stability.
According to reports by BBC, Burkina Faso is facing an emergency in every sector and public services have collapsed. The Friday coup was the second this year in the country, leaving no time for stabilization and development.
The new military government has been warned to “immediately, and totally refrain from any acts of violence or threats to the civilian population, civil liberties, or human rights”, said H.E. Moussa Faki. The continental body has also given the government a July 2024 deadline to comply with electoral deadlines for the restoration of Constitutional order.
