Coming To Power Through A Coup At The Beginning Of The Year, Burkina Faso President Lieutenant Colonel Damiba Resigns After Being Overthrown By A Military Captain

Burkina Faso military illustration (Wikimedia Commons/VOA/Emilie Iob)

JAKARTA - Burkina Faso's military leader, self-proclaimed Captain Ibrahim Traore, accepted the conditional resignation offered by President Paul-Henri Damiba, the army lieutenant colonel who staged a coup earlier this year, to avoid further violence following Friday's coup, leaders said. religion and customs on Sunday.

According to the deal, announced at a press conference, Traore has agreed to seven terms, including guarantees for Damiba's safety and the security of the soldiers who support him, honoring promises made to the West African regional bloc to return to constitutional rule, by July 2024 at the latest.

Captain Traore said earlier that order was restored after violent protests against the French embassy and days of fighting, when his faction moved to overthrow the government.

Traore's team urged people to stop attacks on the French embassy, ​​which protesters targeted after an officer said France had protected Damiba at a French military base and was planning a counterattack.

"We would like to inform the population that the situation is under control and order is being restored," a military officer said in a statement broadcast on national television.

Another statement said Traore would continue to act as president until a transitional civilian or military president was appointed in the coming weeks.

Paul Henri Damiba (right). (Wikimedia Commons/VOA/Lamine Traoré)

Meanwhile, the atmosphere in the capital Ouagadougou was mostly calm on Sunday after sporadic gunfire across the capital throughout Saturday between opposing army factions.

"We invite you to continue your activities, refrain from all acts of violence and vandalism, especially against French embassies and French military bases," called on officers loyal to Traore, urging people to remain calm.

Damiba himself led the coup earlier this year against civilian governments that have lost support, as Islam's extremists escalated. Damiba's failure to stop militant groups has angered the ranks of the armed forces in the former French protection.

The split also appeared in the army, regarding whether to seek help from other international partners to fight the insurgents.

The soldiers who toppled Damiba said the former leader, whom they had helped seize power in January, was out of plans to find other partners.

Earlier, armed soldiers in uniform and masks appeared on television on Burkina Faso on Friday evening, to confirm President Paul-Henri Damiba's ouster, the country's second coup this year.

Illustration of Burkina Faso military. (Wikimedia Commons/Sgt. Benjamin Northcutt)

Burkina Faso's new leader is Army Captain Ibrahim Traore. Damiba's whereabouts were unknown on Friday night.

Traore said a group of officers who helped Damiba seize power in January had decided to remove their leaders for his inability to deal with Islamist groups. Damiba, who holds the rank of lieutenant colonel, toppled former President Roch Kabore for the same reason.

"Facing the deteriorating situation, we tried several times to get Damiba to refocus on the transition to security questions," said a statement signed by Traore and read by another officer on television.

The statement said Damiba had rejected the officers' proposal to reorganize the army and instead continued the military structure that had caused the previous regime to fall.

"Damiba's actions have gradually assured us that his ambitions have deviated from what we planned. We decided today to remove Damiba," he explained.

Burkina Faso has been the epicenter of attacks carried out by groups linked to Al Qaeda and ISIS, after violence that began in neighboring Mali in 2012 spread to other countries in the south of the Sahara Desert.