Junta Coup Leader Inaugurated as Burkina Faso President

Lieutenant Colonel Paul-Henry Damiba, a senior military officer on 23 January 2022 led a group of armed men who launched a d’état in Ougadougo to oust the incumbent president Roch Marc Christian Kaboré. There were several gunfire shots and severe public disturbances in the Burkinabé capital Ouagadougou but the president denied allegations of the ongoing coup. He was detained the next day in a military camp and was reported deposed as president.

From 25 January to date, Soldiers in Burkina Faso have seized control of the country and the Sangoulé Lamizana barracks military base in the capital.

Col Damiba who led armed men to overthrow the president has been inaugurated as the constitutional head of Burkina Faso.

Causes of the Coup

The Lybian crisis allowed Islamic jihadists to infiltrate Mali and subsequently Burkina Faso during 2011. Currently, Mali is still fighting to curb the level of insurgency she is facing. Burkina Faso on the other hand has not been able to deal with the jihadist attacks. The military was ill-equipped and all efforts to request logistics and materials from the central government had proved futile.

Insurgent activities kept occurring on daily basis. Women and children became more vulnerable to all forms of attack. All these led to nationwide criticism. The people protested for president Kabore’s resignition.

Expectations

It is expected that the military leader reveals when they intend to hand over to civil rule. Democracy does not permit military governance and the new leader must act accordingly if they desire the progress of Burkina Faso. Leadership has been the main cause for the rising issues in Burkina Faso and the sub-regional body act as swift as possible to restore governance in Burkina Faso. There should be intensified dialogue and military support to help curb insurgency in Burkina Faso. Coups go a long way to affect the government, communities and even individuals as a whole.