The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) condemned this morning the coup d’état perpetrated this Friday by soldiers in Burkina Faso, the second military uprising in eight months.

In a statement, the institution, based in the Nigerian capital, Abuja, stated that it “condemns in the strongest terms the seizure of power by force that has just taken place this Friday, September 30, 2022 in Burkina Faso.”

The regional bloc, made up of fifteen countries, sees this new blow as “untimely” at a time when “progress has been made thanks to diplomacy and the efforts of ECOWAS for a methodical return to constitutional order no later than July 1 of 2024”.

The organization reaffirmed “its unreserved opposition to any seizure or maintenance of power by unconstitutional means.”

He also demanded “scrupulous respect for the calendar already agreed with the Transitional Authorities for a rapid return to constitutional order no later than July 1, 2024.”

ECOWAS finally criticized “any institution, force or group of people who with acts prevent the expected return to constitutional order or contribute to the weakening of peace and stability in Burkina Faso and the region.”

A group of soldiers led by the captain of the Burkinabe Army Ibrahim Traoré staged a coup this Friday and overthrew the leader of the military junta that ran the country, Lieutenant Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba.

In a message addressed to the nation last night on RTB state television, the coup plotters accused Damiba of deviating from the ideal of the Patriotic Movement for Safeguarding and Restoration (MPSR), the name of the junta that took power in the coup on January 24. , and not tackle the insecurity caused by jihadist terrorism.

After a day of confusion marked by a military uprising and gunshots in strategic areas of the capital, Ouagadougou, the new coup plotters announced several measures such as the suspension of the Constitution and the Transitional Charter.

Likewise, the military led by Traoré, the country’s new strong man, decreed the dissolution of the Government and the Transitional Legislative Assembly and the establishment of a curfew from 9:00 p.m. local time (same GMT) to 5:00 a.m. local.

They also ordered the closure of national borders until further notice and the suspension of all political and civil society activities.

Burkina Faso has suffered frequent jihadist attacks since April 2015, committed by groups linked to both Al Qaeda and the Islamic State, whose actions particularly affect the north of the country.

In November 2021, an attack on a Gendarmerie post caused 53 deaths (49 gendarmes and 4 civilians), which generated great social discontent that led to strong protests demanding the resignation of the Burkinabe president, Roch Marc Christian Kaboré.

A few months later, on January 24, the military led by Damiba seized power in a coup – the fourth in West Africa since August 2020 – and deposed the president.

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