Thomas Sankara's country is without peace. It was around 20.00 yesterday evening local time when a soldier in overalls, bulletproof vest and red cap, surrounded by hooded and helmeted men, appeared on the Burkina Faso Radio and Television (RTB), announcing that Ibrahim Traoré would take over the leadership of the Patriotic Movement for the Safeguard and Restoration (MPSR), and thus overthrowing Lieutenant Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba. He himself had taken power by force in January 2022. According to sources close to him, he is fine and is in Camp Kamboinsin, where the special forces are, according to the authoritative web page of Jeune Afrique.
The dissolution of the government, the Transitional Charter and the National Assembly was announced. The country's borders are now closed and a curfew has been introduced from 9pm to 5am.
In the early hours of the morning of Friday 30 September, gunshots were fired at strategic points in the capital and soldiers were deployed. The Cobra special forces units appeared to be maneuvering. Negotiations were then started with the transitional authorities, but were not successful.
However, the new leader of Burkina Faso Ibrahim Traoré is not part of these Cobra units. Until Friday he was the commander of the Kaya artillery regiment, the first military region, located about 100 km from the capital. He is one of the young officers who overthrew Roch Marc Christian Kaboré in favor of Damiba in February, but who have since criticized the transitional president.
The crisis had been ongoing for several months between Damiba and these young officers, most of whom were engaged on the front line against armed groups.
A large military presence has been deployed in some areas of the capital. In the afternoon, several hundred people, some with Russian flags in their hands, gathered in the Nation's main square in Ouagadougou to ask for military cooperation with Russia, refuse the French military presence in the Sahel and demand the departure of Lieutenant Colonel Damiba.
Africanews recalls that last week, the deposed president Damiba went to New York where he addressed the United Nations General Assembly. In his speech, Damiba defended his January coup.
Burkina Faso's coup d'état came in the wake of similar power grabs in Mali and Guinea.
Initially, many in Burkina Faso, as in other African countries, supported the takeover of the military, frustrated by the inability of governments to stem the violence of the jihadist militias that caused thousands of deaths and millions of displaced persons.
References:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/10/01/burkina-faso-coup/
https://www.dw.com/en/burkina-faso-army-revolt-ousts-junta-leader-damiba/a-63293080