Uprising in Burkina Faso: The army arrested the president and seized power

The rebels overthrew President Kabura in another coup in recent months in West Africa, and announced the dissolution of the government and the closure of borders.

The whereabouts and condition of the president are unknown.

Residents in the capital went out to support the army, due to the intensification of terrorist attacks by al-Qaeda and ISIS.

"We are behind them"

Reuters

24/01/2022

Monday, 24 January 2022, 12:20 Updated: Tuesday, 25 January 2022, 09:46

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Rebels announce military coup on state television today (Photo: Reuters)

Burkina Faso president Rock Cabora was ousted today (Monday) in a military coup.

This is after a heavy exchange of fire took place near his residence in the capital, Wagadogo, during the night, following a day of uprisings at bases throughout the West African country.

The military has said it is suspending the constitution, dismantling the government and dissolving parliament and closing state borders.

Officers who announced the coup on state television said the move came due to the deteriorating security situation in the country and the president's "inability" to unite the country and respond effectively to the challenges facing it, including an Islamist uprising.

The declaration of the military coup was signed by Lieutenant-Colonel Paul-Henry Sandogo Demiba and was read by another officer, who was surrounded by several soldiers.

The rebels said the takeover of the country was done without violence and that those arrested were in a safe place.

The body behind the coup is the patriotic movement for protection and rehabilitation, which has not been recognized until today.

"The MPSR, which includes all branches of the military, has decided to end President Kabura's post today," the statement said, in which the rebels used the movement's initials.

Kabura's whereabouts and whereabouts are unknown, and his party said he survived an assassination attempt but did not elaborate.

The heads of the coup said they would offer a timetable for a return to constitutional order "within a reasonable period of time, after consultations with various sectors of the nation."

Several armored vehicles from the president's convoy, sprayed with bullets, were seen this morning near the president's residence.

One of them had blood splattered on it.

Residents of the neighborhood reported heavy exchanges of fire during the night.

In the morning, three armored vehicles and masked soldiers were stationed outside the state television headquarters.

More on Walla!

Burkina Faso: 132 people were killed in an attack in the north of the country

To the full article

Parts of the country are controlled by terrorist organizations.

Burkina Faso president Paso Rock Cabora (Photo: Reuters)

Kabura, who has been leading Burkina Faso since 2015, has faced street protests in recent months due to growing frustration at the heavy cost of terrorist attacks by ISIS and al-Qaeda-linked militants from soldiers and civilians.

In November, 49 military policemen and four civilians were killed in an attack on a post in the northern province of Som, and it later emerged that the forces stationed there had run out of food and were forced to hunt animals for two weeks. The president then promised to put an end to the "dysfunction" of the army, and ordered an investigation into the attack and the formulation of a plan to fight corruption.

With the onset of reports of riots at bases across the country, protesters took to the streets to support the rebels and they set fire to the ruling party headquarters. The government announced a night curfew until further notice and the closure of schools for two days, and confusion reigned in the streets until the coup was announced.

"We are really happy. We have gone out in the last two days to support the army," said Ibrahim Zara, a resident of the capital.

"We are behind them."

Ali Swagogo, another resident of the capital, said the coup did not surprise him.

"It was to be expected that the country has been in this situation for six years without a real solution to this terrorism," he said.

"If coup is the solution, then it is blessed."

Residents went out to demonstrate in support of the rebels.

Soldiers on the streets of the capital, yesterday (Photo: AP)

The impending coup in Borica Passo is part of a wave sweeping the region.

In the past year and a half, military forces have taken power in Mali, Guinea and Chad.

Burkina Faso is one of the poorest countries in the region, despite the many gold deposits in its territory, and it has known many revolutions since its independence in 1960.

Some of the anger in the country has been directed in recent months at France, the former colonial control that sent thousands of troops to the Sahel region of West Africa to fight terrorist organizations.

However, the security situation only deteriorated, and in parts of Burkina Faso the extremist organizations imposed Sharia law on the residents.

The U.S. State Department said it was aware of reports that Kabura had been arrested by the military and called for his release, and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres' spokesman said he "strongly condemns any attempt to seize control of the government by force" in Burkina Faso and called for coup leaders to leave. Their weapons.

Corinne Dupka, director of the West African region at Human Rights Watch, said Kabour's government had shown an inability to deal with a range of issues.

"The coup, and what appears to be support for it, exposes Kabura's government's inability to address deep-seated problems of corruption, governance and civil protection, all of which have been exponentially exacerbated by the armed Islamist threat," she said.

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