The leader of the coup leaders on Sunday October 2 called for an end to “acts of violence and vandalism” against France in Burkina Faso. “Last night there were serious violations of our diplomatic rights of way in Ouagadougou,” the French Foreign Ministry said at the same time. Dozens of protesters who had gathered in front of the French embassy were repelled with tear gas on Sunday morning. France has been accused of meddling after Friday’s military coup that ousted Lt. Col. Paul-Henri Damiba. The coup plotters claimed to impeach him and installed Captain Ibrahim Traoré instead.
>> A new coup rocks Burkina Faso, France also targeted. Follow our life
The putschist soldiers declared the closure of land and air borders, the suspension of the constitution, the government and the Transitional Legislative Assembly. But the army does not support this coup. In a press release published on Saturday, she describes an “internal crisis” and ongoing “consultation”. She specifies that this coup “does not represent the position of the institution”. After initially urging the coup leaders to “come to their senses,” Paul-Henri Damiba finally agreed to step down on Sunday, “after mediation efforts” conducted by religious and community leaders.
1What are the motives of the putschists?
“We have decided to take on our responsibilities, driven by a single ideal, restoring the security and integrity of our territory,” the military coup leaders declared on Friday, September 30, after seizing power by force. Successive governments’ inability to contain jihadist violence and ensure security on the territory has weakened the existing regime. Since 2015, armed groups linked to al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group have claimed thousands of lives in Burkina Faso.
Captain Ibrahim Traoré, who has just been placed at the head of a new junta, is thus the former corps chief of the Kaya artillery regiment in the north of the country, which has been particularly hard hit by the jihadist attacks. Two million people have been displaced and some cities are now under jihadist blockades. Attacks have multiplied in recent months, as Lt. Col. Damiba vowed to make the fight against terrorism his priority when he took power (also by force) last January.
2Why is France highlighted?
France is accused of meddling after this coup. The putschists quickly accused Paul-Henri Damiba, who initially refused to step down, of planning a counter-offensive from a French base near Ouagadougou. The French embassy and institute in the capital and in Bobo Dioulasso were attacked by demonstrators. “It is all the more regrettable that it was one of the most important cultural centers in the city, housing the Georges Méliès library, which was very popular with the Burkinabés,” the French Foreign Ministry lamented the institute in Ouagadougou. On Sunday, the new self-proclaimed leader of the military junta, Ibrahim Traoré, called on protesters to end the violence.
“I formally deny having fled to the French base of Kamboincé. It’s just a frenzy to manipulate public opinion,” Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba replied on social media on Saturday night, without providing any information about his whereabouts. The French Foreign Ministry also denied it. “Paul Henri Damiba was never welcomed on that basis and was never welcomed to our embassy,” spokeswoman Anne-Claire Legendre told France 24 on Saturday.
#BurkinaFaso | France officially denies any involvement in the events that have been going on in Burkina Faso since yesterday. The camp where the French armed forces are located has never hosted Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba, neither has our embassy. #infox pic.twitter.com/pkHSbWyUlR
— France Diplomacy (@francediplo) October 1, 2022
These attacks “are the act of hostile protesters who have been manipulated by a disinformation campaign against us,” Anne-Claire Legendre continued, “urging those involved to ensure the security” of diplomatic buildings.
The French intervention as part of Operation Barkhane against the jihadists in the Sahel is considered ineffective and fueling popular hostility. France is also accused of protecting economic interests in Burkina Faso. “These are rumors from social networks. France has no interest in minerals or oil deposits,” geopolitics professor and Africa specialist Michel Galy told franceinfo. However, he denounces the mistakes made by French leaders in Africa in recent decades, which may have prompted “increased hostilities” and raised doubts about possible interference.
3Why Were Russian Flags Seen During the Protests?
Hundreds of people who demonstrated in the capital shortly before the coup on Friday demanded the withdrawal of Paul-Henri Damiba, the end of the French military presence in the Sahel, but also military cooperation with Russia. Many Russian flags were seen at the demonstrations, France 24 journalist Wassim Nasr reported on Twitter.
#BurkinaFaso last night at #Ougadougou a putschist soldier with the flag of the #Russia on an armored vehicle in the colors of the#U.N. A whole icon pic.twitter.com/poTnK9S0RE
— Wassim Nasr (@SimNasr) October 2, 2022
The putschists did not hide their “firm desire to go to other partners who are ready to help in the fight against terrorism”. The new head of the military junta, Ibrahim Traoré, said on Saturday afternoon. Foreign Policy magazine, citing American intelligence sources, assured last July that the Wagner group could target Burkina Faso. These Kremlin-linked Russian mercenaries are already operating in neighboring Mali. Russia’s popularity in West African countries is growing, especially under the influence of numerous propaganda campaigns by Russians on social networks, the Washington Post (in English) stressed last April.
4How is the international community reacting?
On Saturday, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned “any attempt to seize power by force of arms”. The African Union denounced an “unconstitutional change of government”. Just like the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), which regrets this coup “at a time when progress has been made towards a return to constitutional order by July 1, 2024 at the latest”. The European Union has also criticized a coup that “endangers the transition efforts that have been made for months”.