Military seize power in Coup in Burkina Faso

Burkina Faso's army said it took control of the country on Monday, deposing President Roch Kabore, dissolving the government and parliament, suspending the constitution and shuttering its borders.

The coup was announced on state television by Captain Sidsore Kader Ouedraogo, who said the military had seized power in response to the "ongoing degradation of the security situation" in the country and the "incapacity of the government" to unite the population.

Sitting alongside him dressed in military fatigues and a red beret was Lieutenant Colonel Paul-Henri Damiba, a senior military officer who was introduced to the people of Burkina Faso as their new leader.

 

Damiba was promoted in December by Kabore to commander of the country's third military region, which is responsible for security in the capital Ouagadougou, according to Reuters. He studied at a military academy in Paris, and recently authored a book titled "West African Armies and Terrorism: Uncertain Responses?"

 

There was no mention made in the televised statement about Kabore's whereabouts. The president has not been seen in public since fighting broke out on Sunday around the presidential palace in Ouagadougou. 

 

One of the coup leaders said Kabore was detained early Monday by soldiers that had taken control of a military base before storming the palace grounds and firing shots near the president's home. The same source said that Kabore signed his resignation and is being kept in a "safe place" in the country.

The Economic Community for West Africa States (ECOWAS) posted a statement on Facebook Monday saying it was watching "with great concern the political and security situation in Burkina Faso, following an attempted coup d'état."

 

ECOWAS demanded that the "soldiers return to the barracks, maintain a Republican situation and favor dialogue with the authorities to resolve problems," adding that it held the military responsible for Kabore's wellbeing