In the second coup in a year, Paul-Henri Damiba, the head of the military in Burkina Faso, was overthrown. Army Captain Ibrahim Traore then dissolved the transitional government and suspended the constitution.
Traore stated on Friday night that a group of officers had chosen to remove Damiba because of his incapacity to handle the country’s escalating armed uprising. The captain had previously served as the special operations unit “Cobra” commander in Kaya’s northern district.
“We have decided to take our responsibilities, driven by a single ideal: the restoration of security and integrity of our territory,” announced soldiers on state television and radio.
The West African state has been taken over twice in the last eight months. Frustration about the escalating insecurity played a role in the coup that installed Damiba as president in January, overthrowing former President Roch Kabore.
Burkina Faso has been battling to keep out rebel groups, some of which are connected to al-Qaeda and ISIL (ISIS).
Reporting from Dakar, Senegal, Al Jazeera correspondent Nicolas Haque stated that with 40% of Burkina Faso not under governmental authority, there is growing unhappiness with the country’s security.
Haque claimed that the last coup’s leaders had likewise vowed to deal with the armed organizations. When he spoke to individuals on the streets of Ouagadougou, he claimed that they had a sense of deja vu.
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) vehemently denounced the coup on Friday, saying it occurred at a “inopportune” time when steps were being taken to restore constitutional order.
“ECOWAS reaffirms its unequivocal opposition to any seizure or maintenance of power by unconstitutional means,” the regional bloc said in a statement shared on social media.
