The Limited Times

Now you can see non-English news...

Burkina: two ex-presidents and the putschist Damiba call for "cohesion" against the jihadists

2022-07-08T15:42:01.426Z


Two of the five former presidents of Burkina Faso, invited on Friday July 8 by the head of the ruling junta Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba, responded...


Two of the five former presidents of Burkina Faso, invited on Friday July 8 by the head of the ruling junta Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba, responded present, calling for "

social cohesion in view of the difficult situation

" that their country is going through.

to jihadist violence.

"

This meeting focused mainly on the search for lasting peace in our country

," said Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba, in a statement made after the meeting.

"

We are convinced that it is only in social cohesion and unity that the forces fighting terrorism at this very moment will be more determined and more successful

," he added.

The head of the junta spoke alongside the two former heads of state who responded favorably to his invitation: Jean-Baptiste Ouedraogo (1982-1983) and Blaise Compaoré, president from 1987 to 2014, before being forced to exile in Côte d'Ivoire following a popular uprising.

Read alsoBurkina: ex-president Compaoré arrived in Ouagadougou after 8 years of exile

“Preserving the existence of our homeland”

The latter, who appeared emaciated alongside Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba and Ouedraogo, made his return to Ouagadougou on Thursday for the first time in eight years, sparking controversy in Burkina Faso.

Last April, he was sentenced in absentia, to life, for his role in the assassination of his predecessor Thomas Sankara, during a coup that brought him to power in 1987

. the preservation of the existence of our homeland requires a synergy of actions which does not allow us to give ourselves the luxury of wasting any time in the controversy

”, estimated Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba at the end of the meeting.

Three invited presidents did not make the trip.

Roch Marc Christian Kaboré, overthrown in January, was "

physically prevented by a group of individuals from participating in the meeting

", according to Mr. Damiba.

Several of his supporters demonstrated Friday morning in front of his home in Ouagadougou, calling on him to boycott this meeting described as a "

masquerade

".

Also invited, Isaac Zida, who briefly took power in 2014 and currently lives in exile in Canada, could not come "

for administrative reasons

", according to Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba, and Michel Kafando (2014-2015) for "

health reasons

”.

Source: lefigaro

All news articles on 2022-07-08

You may like

News/Politics 2024-02-26T10:23:40.428Z
News/Politics 2024-03-17T05:15:51.608Z

Trends 24h

News/Politics 2024-03-28T06:04:53.137Z

Latest

© Communities 2019 - Privacy

The information on this site is from external sources that are not under our control.
The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorse the views expressed within them.