Captain Ibrahim Traoré had assured shortly after his taking of power that he would only explain “current affairs”.
Le Monde with afp
In Burkina Faso, “national meetings” must be held on Friday October 14 and Saturday October 15 to designate a transitional president, before the organization of elections in 2024 in this country undermined by jihadist violence and two shots state in eight months. “In view of the adoption of the transitional charter, it is summoned to national meetings on October 14 and 15” in Ouagadougou, indicates a decree read Saturday on national television RTB and signed by Captain Ibrahim Traoré, new strong man in Burkina Faso.
Officially appointed President on Wednesday, he had assured shortly after his seizure that he would only explain “current affairs” until the appointment of a new president of civil or military transition by “national meetings “. The latter, bringing together in particular the political, social and civil society forces, will have to meet “long before the end of the year”, he said on October 3 on RFI radio.
This young 34-year-old captain overthrew on September 30, Lieutenant-Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba, himself arrived by force in power in January by overthrowing elected president Roch Marc Christian Kaboré.
Captain Traoré assured that Ouagadougou would continue to respect his commitments made under Mr. Damiba vis-à-vis the Community of West African States (ECOWAS), in particular on the organization of elections and a return of civilians in power no later than July 2024.
catalyst of the coup
Ibrahim Traoré justified his putsch by the inability of Mr. Damiba to curb the continuous security degradation in this country struck since 2015 by jihadism. Argument itself used by Lieutenant-Colonel Damiba to justify his coup of January 24 against President Kaboré. In recent months, attacks striking dozens of civilians and soldiers have multiplied in the north and eastern Burkina Faso, where cities are now subject to a blockade of jihadists.
On September 26, yet another deadly attack, sold by Al-Qaida, in the north of the country, in Gaskindé, was in particular perceived as the catalyst for the coup. On that day, a supply convoy of more than 200 trucks to the city of Djibo, capital of the landlocked Sahel region in the North, had been attacked by armed men. At least 37 people were killed, including 27 soldiers and ten civilians.
A military ceremony in tribute to the 27 soldiers took place on Saturday in Ouagadougou in the presence of Ibrahim Traoré. The soldiers were posthumously decorated in one of the main military camps in the capital, the Sangoulé Lamizana camp. The day before, Ibrahim Traoré received the diplomatic corps by asking him to support him to “save our homeland, our lands, our population”.
A few days after the coup, he met a delegation from ECOWAS, who came to assess the situation after two days of confusion during which Mr. Damiba opposed his dismissal. At the end of the visit, one of the members of the delegation, the former Nigerian president Mahamadou Issoufou, had said that she was leaving “confident” regarding compliance with the commitments made.
Ibrahim Traoré has taken the lead of a state bruised by the war since 2015. Regular attacks of armed groups affiliated with Al-Qaida and the Islamic State (IS) group left thousands of deaths and caused the displacement of Some two million people. More than 40 % of the territory escapes the control of the State, especially on the side of borders with Mali and Niger.