coup d’etat
After the coup in Burkina Faso: the ousted president gives up
Supporters of Captain Traore cheer with Russian flags in the streets of Burkina Faso’s capital Ouagadoudou. photo
© Kilayé Bationo/AP/dpa
He only seized power in Burkina Faso in January – now he has been deposed again: President Damiba, who was overthrown by the military, is stepping down from office.
After another military coup in West Africa’s Burkina Faso, the ousted President Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba officially resigned his office on Sunday. Representatives of a mediation mission told journalists that he wanted to avoid clashes in the country. The new ruler, Ibrahima Traoré, has promised him full security and protection from criminal prosecution, explained the representatives of various ethnic groups and religious communities. Neither Traoré nor the fallen Damiba were present at the press conference.
Where Damiba was staying remained unclear. In January he seized power in the poor Sahel state with around 21 million inhabitants. The United Nations condemned the renewed coup on Friday. The EU, the African Union and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) also regretted the coup and called for a return to the constitutional order by July 2024 at the latest, as planned.
The new ruler Traoré had a message read out on the national television channel RTB on Sunday, according to which the situation in Burkina Faso is now under control and is normalizing. The captain called on the population to remain peaceful. In particular, he warned against violence and vandalism against French institutions. Demonstrators attacked the French embassy in the capital Ouagadougou on Saturday. France, the former colonial power, immediately condemned the riots.