Ekeomah Atuonwu
The military chief of Burkina Faso, who was overthrown in a coup on Friday, has formally announced his resignation, according to community and religious groups.
They said that Capt. Ibrahim Traoré, the nation’s newly elected leader, had accepted Lt. Col. Paul-Henri Damiba’s resignation and the terms he had imposed.
Following reports that Lt Col Damiba was seeking refuge in a French military base, there were attacks on French institutions.
He may be in Togo, according to unreliable reports.
Russia and France are engaged in a battle for influence in several former French colonies in West and Central Africa.
Pro-Russian slogans were chanted and Russian flags waved by supporters of the new junta leader Capt Traoré on Sunday.
Experts estimate that only 60% of Burkina Faso is under government control, and Islamist violence is getting worse.
In agreement with the regional organization Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas), the African Union has called for the restoration of constitutional order by July 2023 at the latest.
Although days of power battles came to an end without violence, Ecowas has since praised “the various groups in Burkina Faso for coming to a peaceful settlement of their differences.”
Lt Col Damiba hasn’t made any official statements.
However, according to statements made by religious and community leaders quoted by newsmen, Lt Col Damiba himself had tendered his resignation “to avoid clashes with serious human and material implications.”
According to reports, Lt. Col. Damiba had seven requirements for leaving his position, including assurances of his safety, a commitment to continue national reconciliation efforts, and continuous adherence to the promise of returning to civilian authority within two years.
According to the former colonel, President Roch Kaboré was forced from office in January after failing to address the rise in militant Islamist violence.
For a while now, many Burkinabe residents have not felt secure.
In 2015, an Islamist insurgency broke out in the nation, displacing two million people from their homes and resulting in thousands of fatalities.
Since gaining independence from France in 1960, Burkina Faso has had nine coups.
