By Oyintari Ben
According to a statement on national television, Burkina Faso Army Captain Ibrahim Traore has ousted military chief Paul-Henri Damiba, dissolved the government, and suspended the constitution and transitional charter.
Traore stated on Friday night that a group of officers had chosen to remove Damiba because of his incompetence in handling the country’s escalating armed uprising. He said that all political and civil society activities had been suspended, and the borders had been closed indefinitely.
“In light of the ongoing deterioration of the security situation, we have constantly attempted to refocus the transition on security problems,” the statement said.
Additionally, a curfew from 9:00 pm to 5:00 am was declared.
The West African state has been taken over twice in the last eight months. Frustration about the escalating insecurity played a role in the coup that installed Damiba as president in January, overthrowing former President Roch Kabore.
An “internal issue” inside the army, according to the Burkina Faso government, was the reason for force deployments in strategic parts of the capital. The administration added that talks were in progress after shots were fired just before daybreak on Friday.
As a means of “trying to find a conclusion without trouble,” government spokesman Lionel Bilgo claimed that negotiations were ongoing.
For several hours, the state television was not working. It displayed a blank screen with the words “no visual signal.”
The United Nations expressed alarm and urged restraint.
To combat terrorist organizations and criminal networks functioning in some sections of the nation, Burkina Faso needs peace, stability, and unity, according to UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric.
The EU also expressed concern over the developments in the Burkinabe capital in Brussels.
“A military activity was noticed beginning at 4:30 this morning. The situation is still quite unclear, according to spokeswoman Nabila Massrali.
Damiba has promised to eliminate armed groups instigating turmoil in the nation and restore civilian government within two years.
Despite the junta’s pledge to put security first, attacks have escalated since mid-March.
