Burkina Faso’s military has removed the country’s president from office, dissolved the government and parliament, and suspended the constitution.
The leader of the Burkina Faso coup, Lt. Col Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba, signed a statement that was read by another military official. In it, the military announced that a previously unknown group, Patriotic Movement for Safeguard and Restoration (MPSR), had taken over the country. MPSR includes all of the military factions in the country.
Security in the country has been deteriorating. The violence was beset by jihadist violence, and the MPSR said that it was the jihadist violence that forced their group to seize power.
An overnight curfew was announced, as well as the immediate closure of borders, both air and land.
The statement issued by MPSR confirmed that it was a coup overthrowing the government. Heavy gunfire had been reported at military barracks, as well as at the residency of the now-ousted president on Sunday night.
Earlier, the now-former president, Roch Marc Kabore, had been arrested and held in detention by military soldiers. The escalating move was condemned by the Economic Community of West African States. It was supported and hailed by protesters who had joined together in the capital city, Ouagadougou.
Some of Burkina Faso’s population had lost faith in the president and his government and were angry over the relentless jihadist attacks. One attack killed 48 military police officers, as well as four civilians, which took place in November 2021. It directly sparked renewed demands for change and protests against the government.
There has been fairly continuous violence in the country since 2015, which has led to public protests and despair. Militant attacks have killed more than 2,000 and have forced an estimated 1.5 million people to leave their homes.
The military presence of the country’s former colonial ruler, France, has also been responsible for fueling anger in the country.
Hundreds in the capital on Monday were seen celebrating the military seizing power. Experts have said that while the ousting of the government is unsettling, it is not unexpected.
The coup also marks the fourth coup in West Africa that has happened in the past 17 months.
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