Burkina Faso’s coup leader, Captain Ibrahim Traore, has been appointed as President of Burkina Faso after Paul-Henri Damiba was removed in the West African country’s second coup in less than nine months.

According to an official statement read out on national television by a spokesman for the military government, Captain Kiswendsida Farouk Azaria Sorgho, Mr Traore has also been appointed as “Supreme Head of the Armed Forces”.

The statement noted that Mr Traore would now be the “guarantor of national independence, territorial integrity… and continuity of the State”.

The power grab, the second this year, was triggered by an apparent disaffection with the failures of the previous military government under Damiba to curb a spreading Islamist insurgency.

The Sahel country plunged into political turmoil on September 30, 2022, after a group of officers decided to remove Damiba due to his inability to deal with a worsening armed uprising.

On Sunday, October 2, 2022, Damiba agreed to step down after army officers announced his deposition and fled to Togo. In January this year, Damiba together with the armed forces had launched a coup against President Roch Kabore and appointed himself transitional head of state. He vowed to make security the country’s top priority.

However, since 2015, Burkina Faso has been battling an escalating wave of violence attributed to rebel fighters allied to both al-Qaeda and the ISIL (ISIS) armed group, claiming hundreds of lives and displacing two million.

Meanwhile, delegates from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) have conducted a fact-finding mission and held meetings with influential religious and traditional leaders and Traore.

ECOWAS was hoping to persuade the new leader to stick to earlier proposals to hold elections by mid-2024.

Traore, on the other hand, stated the ECOWAS visit was to “make contact with the new transition authorities” as part of regional support for Burkina Faso.

Burkina Faso’s likely allegiance to Russia

The coup in Burkina Faso was followed by protests against France, which colonised Burkina Faso in the past, and the emergence of Russian flags among demonstrators, leading to speculations that the new leader may forge close ties with Moscow.

Protesters used slogans that included “France get out”, “No to ECOWAS interference”, and “Long live Russia-Burkina cooperation”.

Prior to this, the United States warned the army of the risks of allying with Russia. A Department of State spokesman highlighted that the US condemned “any attempt to exacerbate the current situation in Burkina Faso”.

“We strongly encourage the new transitional government to adhere to the agreed-upon timeline for a return to a democratically elected, civilian-led government.”
US Spokesperson

Traore previously indicated that he would stand by a pledge that Damiba gave ECOWAS for restoring civilian rule by July next year.

The African Union Chief, Moussa Faki Mahamat, equally condemned the “unconstitutional change of government” and called on the military to “refrain from any acts of violence or threats to the civilian population, civil liberties, and human rights”. He also called for the restoration of the constitutional order by July next year “at the latest”.