Foreign Desk Report
BRUSSELS: The United Nations human rights office on Tuesday called on soldiers who seized power in Burkina Faso to immediately free its President Roch Marc Christian Kabore and other top officials.
“We call on the military to immediately release the President and other high-level officials who have been detained,” said Ravina Shamdasani, spokesperson of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).
People in Burkina Faso woke up to a new military-led junta Tuesday. Days of gunfire and uncertainty in the capital, Ouagadougou, ended Monday evening when more than a dozen soldiers on state media declared that the country is being run by their new organization, the Patriotic Movement for Safeguarding and Restoration.
“Today’s events mark a new era for Burkina Faso. They are an opportunity for all the people of Burkina Faso to heal their wounds, to rebuild their cohesion and to celebrate what has always made us who we are: Integrity,” said Capt. Sidsore Kaber Ouedraogo.
Many residents of the capital appeared pleased by the coup and celebrations were planned for Tuesday, but regional African leaders and international bodies condemned the military takeover.
The junta sealed the borders, imposed a curfew, suspended the constitution, dissolved the government and parliament, promising to return Burkina Faso to constitutional order, but did not specify when. The soldiers said the overthrown president is safe, but did not reveal where he is being held. A publicly circulated resignation letter signed by Kabore said that he was quitting his office in the country’s best interest.
The coup comes after months of growing frustration at the Kabore government’s inability to stem an extremist insurgency that’s wrecked the country, killing thousands and displacing 1.5 million people. However, it’s unclear what might change under the new junta, as the ill-equipped military has struggled to battle terrorists linked to al-Qaida and the Daesh group.
“A simple change in leadership is unlikely to turn the tide,” said Constantin Gouvy, a Burkina Faso researcher who works for the Netherlands-based Clingendael Institute. “What we do know though is that some of the mutineers’ demands include better material and reinforcements, better training and better handling of the wounded and families of fallen soldiers. Essentially, they are asking for a better hierarchy that listens to their concerns.”
While not much is known about the new leaders, they appear young and are said to be within the higher ranks of the lower-level officers. The new apparent leader, Lt. Col. Paul Henri Sandaogo Damiba, is a published author in his early 40s and was recently promoted by Kabore.
One mutinous soldier who wished anonymity due to security reasons told The Associated Press (AP) that younger officers who had experienced war needed to run the country, rather than older ones who had never used their guns outside of military training, in a nation that had never previously seen fighting.
