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BURKINA FASO COUP: MILITARY LEADER MAIDEN SPEECH AFTER PRESIDENT OUSTER

BURKINA FASO COUP: MILITARY LEADER MAIDEN SPEECH AFTER PRESIDENT OUSTER
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Faith Nyasuguta 

The new Burkina Faso military leader has vowed a return to the  “when the conditions are right”.

Lieutenant Colonel Paul-Henri Damiba led the coup d’état that toppled President Roch Kaboré on Monday.

He accused the head of state of failing to contain violence by Islamist militants.

Adorning a red beret and army fatigues, Lt-Col Damiba on Thursday addressed the West African nation for the maiden time on national television since taking power.

“When the conditions are right, according to the deadline that our people will define in all sovereignty, I commit to a return to a normal constitutional order,” he said.

Ousted President Roche Kaboré /Courtesy/

Aged 41 years, the Colonel said he will meet representatives of various sections of society to come up with a common roadmap for reform.

He noted that Burkina Faso requires international partners “more than ever”, following a multinational condemnation of the coup.

“I call on the international community to support our country so it can exit this crisis as soon as possible.”

Citing a dwindling security situation, the military on Monday announced that it had grabbed power on state television. 

The ousted president Kaboré had faced rising discontent over his failure to stem an Islamist insurgency.

Military leader Damiba has been spearheading the fight against Islamist militants. In 2021, he wrote a book on the topic.

In May 2021, similar complaints in neighbouring Mali led to a military coup – one that was broadly welcomed by the public.

In recent years, Burkina Faso is the third West African state to witness a military takeover. So far, regional bloc ECOWAS has imposed sanctions on Guinea and Mali to press them to return to constitutional order.

Ecowas is meeting up today (Friday) to discuss how to respond to the region’s latest coup.

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Faith Nyasuguta