~Preet
Burkina Faso which means, "The Land of The Honest Men", a name given to this land locked country in Western Africa by a revolutionary military officer Thomas Sankara who took power in 1983 and was toppled and killed in 1987, might sound good, but definitely does not suits this country given the present political turmoil it is facing. Also this is not the first time when this country is facing an unexpected change in dictum.
Once a French Colony, this country has suffered chronic instability since gaining independence in 1960, including several coups. This country has also been facing grave Islamist insurgency, which arrived from the neighbouring country Mali in 2015. The insurgency and constant skirmishes has defoliated the once important tourism industry, thus hampering the economy. The Islamist Extremist groups has also taken under its control, patches of land of Burkina Faso and are ruling those lands under the draconian religious laws, keeping aside the rights of the general public.
Burkina Faso, in-spite of being a producer of gold, is one of the poorest nations of Africa.
In the recent turn of events, the Military, citing the inability of President Roch Kabore, to continue administering the nation, has ousted the president, suspended the constitution and dissolved the government and the National Assembly. The coup has also announced the closure of the border of Burkina Faso. But a military coup is not the first for this country. The military also took over in Chad last year, that is 2021, after President Idriss Deby died fighting rebels in the battlefield in the country's north.
The army put forward deterioration of the security situation as the reason to justify the coup and the proclamation, signed by Lieutenant Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba and delivered on state television by another officer, lamented Kabore's inability to unify the West African nation and successfully address to difficulties, including an Islamist insurgency.
The Patriotic Movement for Safeguard and Restoration, or MPSR in French, issued the statement in the name of a hitherto unknown institution. "MPSR, which comprises all parts of the army, has chosen to end President Kabore's post today," it added. On Monday, Kabore's whereabouts were unclear, with contradictory stories of his location.
In Mali and Guinea, army coups have overthrown administrations in the last 18 months. Last year, the military seized control in Chad when President Idriss Deby was killed in a battle with insurgents in the country's north. Burkina Faso, despite being a gold producer, is a landlocked country with a history of coups dating back to its independence from France in 1960. The MPSR said it would propose a calendar for a return to constitutional order “within a reasonable time frame, after consultations with various sections of the nation.”
On Monday, the US State Department confirmed that Kabore had been held by the military and demanded his release. When asked if Washington was conducting a coup assessment, it stressed that it was "too soon" to formally define circumstances in the West African country. A UN spokeswoman said following the army announcement that UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres "strongly condemns any attempted seizure of government by force of arms" in Burkina Faso and called on the coup leaders to lay down their guns.
The broadcast came after days of misunderstanding and fear in Ouagadougou, the capital, wherein taking images erupted at army camps on Sunday, with infantrymen stressful greater reassets for his or her fight in competition to Islamist militants.
Several hundred residents gathered in Ouagadougou, an important Place de la. Nation to point out their resource for the coup.
“ We are really happy. We have been out for two days to support the army,” said Ibrahim Zare. “We are behind them.”Intense gunfire modified into heard withinside the situation spherical Kabore’s residence overnight. Earlier, Kabore’s birthday celebration said he had survived an assassination attempt, but gave no details. It moreover said his non-public residence had been sacked.
Several armuored vehicles belonging to the presidential fleet might be seen near Kabore’s residence on Monday, riddled with bullets. One was spattered with blood.
Security sources gave conflicting accounts of Kabore’s situation, with some saying he was being detained by the coup organizers et al. saying forces loyal to him had taken him to a secure location. Reuters couldn't independently verify his circumstances.
Islamist militants control swathes of Burkina Faso’s territory and have forced residents in some areas to abide by their harsh version of shariah , while the military’s struggle to quell the insurgency has drained scarce national resources. Kabore had faced waves of protests in recent months amid frustration over killings of civilians and soldiers by militants, a number of whom have links to Islamic State and al Qaeda.
Ouagadougou resident Eli Sawagogo said the coup had not come as a surprise to him. “It was expected because the country has been during this situation for 6 years without a true solution to the present terrorism,” he said. “If a coup is the solution, then it's welcome.”
Corinne Dufka, West Africa director at Human Rights Watch, said Kabore’s government had shown itself unable to tackle a variety of problems. “The coup, and apparent support for it, lays bare the inadequacies of Kabore’s government to deal with deep-seated problems with corruption, governance and civilian protection, which were all made exponentially worse by the armed Islamist threat,” she said.
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