Burkina Faso’s military on Monday ousted democratically elected president Roch Marc Christian Kaboré and detained him following mass protests against the President’s failure to contain the rise of Islamist extremism in the country.
The army announced that it was taking control of the country due to Kaboré’s inability to unite Burkina Faso against security challenges, including an Islamist insurgency in the north. Capt. Sidsore Kader Ouedraogo, the spokesman for the previously unheard-of group the Patriotic Movement for Safeguarding and Restoration (MPSR), said that the army has suspended the constitution, dissolved the government and the National Assembly, and closed the borders.
A statement made by the MPSR and signed by its leader Col. Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba said that the military seized power in a bloodless coup and there were no casualties. It noted that the President and other detained politicians were being held securely at a military base in the capital, Ouagadougou.
Kaboré was elected in 2015 after a popular uprising ousted long-time dictator Blaise Compaoré, who was in power for 27 years. Kaboré was re-elected in 2020 on a campaign promise to step up the fight against terrorism in the north. However, the President has largely failed to deliver on that front and jihadism in the north has continued to spread.
Attacks linked to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State terrorists have killed thousands and displaced over 1.4 million people. Furthermore, the military has suffered countless losses since the inception of extremist violence in 2016. In December alone, more than 40 security forces were killed in a terrorist attack.
Moreover, according to reports, Burkina Faso’s military is severely under-equipped and poorly trained to deal with the insurgency and rising violence. While Kaboré had promised to “put an end to the unacceptable dysfunction” within the military, there were no visible changes and the army has been struggling to contain the insurgency.
Against this backdrop, hundreds of civilians marched in Ouagadougou in support of the military and the coup and citizens were seen celebrating on the streets. One of the supporters told Reuters that the people are “really happy” about the coup and said that the public is “behind them [military].”
However, Kaboré’s political party People’s Movement for Progress (MPP) condemned the coup and accused the soldiers of trying to assassinate the President. The coup was also condemned by the African Union (AU). In a statement, AU chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat said he was “deeply concerned” by the situation and called on the army to ensure the physical safety of the President and other detained politicians.
The United States also expressed concerns over the events. State Department spokesperson Ned Price said that Washington has demanded a “return to civilian-led government and constitutional order.”
Furthermore, Stéphane Dujarric, the spokesperson for UN Secretary-General António Guterres, said Guterres “strongly condemns any attempt to take over a government by the force of arms.” Guterres later tweeted: “Coup leaders must lay down their arms and ensure the safety of the President and the protection of the country’s institutions.”
The coup in Burkina Faso was the latest in a series of military takeovers in the sub-Saharan African region. Major coups took place in Mali, Guinea, Chad, and Sudan last year.