On Friday, members of 15-state regional bloc Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas) suspended Burkina Faso from its governing bodies, following the coup d’etat carried out late Sunday.
The regional group met virtually to discuss the way forward with regard to Burkina Faso, voting to suspend the member state.
On Tuesday, the regional bloc condemned the coup, calling it a “major democratic setback”.
In his first national TV broadcast since the arrest of former Burkinabé president Roch Marc Kabore, junta leader Lieutenant Colonel Paul-Henri Damiba addressed Burkina Faso on Thursday, saying that he wants the country on the path to civilian governance when the timing is right, without giving specifics.
“Burkina Faso needs its partners more than ever. This is why I call on the international community to support our country so that it can emerge from this crisis as quickly as possible to resume its march towards development,” he said on national television.
Damiba reassured foreign partners that it would respect national commitments, particularly in regard to human rights.
“I undertake to convene the living forces of the nation to agree on a roadmap which will aim to plan and achieve the recovery desired by all Burkinabè,” he said, adding that he would also return to a “normal constitutional life.”
Security first
The junta leader, the head of the Patriotic Movement for Safeguard and Restoration (MPSR), instigated a mutiny late Sunday. On Monday, they deposed Kaboré, saying he did not contain Islamist militant violence.
He made promises to those who live in the rural areas that have been targeted by Islamic State and al-Qaeda-linked militants, saying that the army would take back that territory so they could live in safety.
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Crowds rally in Burkina Faso's capital to cheer on military coup leaders
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Who is Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba, leader of Burkina Faso’s military takeover?
Damiba promised farmers and herders and people across the West African Sahel nation affected by violence from militants linked to al Qaeda and Islamic State, and said he would take back control of those zones. He said security would be priority.
The West and Central African region has been plagued by military coups d’etat in recent years, as a jihadist insurgency has killed and displaced millions of people in the region, as residents lose faith in their leaders.
ECOWAS has already imposed sanctions on Mali in August 2020, and in Guinea in September 2021.
The military in the Sahel country of Chad, headed by late president Idriss Deby’s son Mahamat, took over in April 2021, following the death of the long-time leader.
