Burkina Faso is burning

Ghana’s immediate neighbours to the north Burkina Faso is burning, yet again. In less than two years Africa has experienced coup d’états in Mali, Chad, Guinea, Sudan, and Burkina Faso.

And the list should include the foiled coup in Guinea-Bissau, too, that killed six people.

The latest coup in Burkina Faso is yet the latest instantiation of the UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ claim that Africa has a coup epidemic.

January coup d’état

On Sunday, January 23, 2022, heavy gunfire was heard around the presidential palace of Burkina Faso. When the deadly shooting died down, it was established that aggrieved soldiers of that country were behind the mutiny against President Roch March Kabore.

The coup plotters arrested and detained Mr Kabore after overcoming the resistance put up by forces loyal to him. Some civilians appeared to have supported the mutinies, setting fire to a building belonging to Mr Kabore’s political party.

But the continuous escalation of insecurity in the Sahel that took hold of Burkina Faso with terrorist killing Burkinabes was cited as the cause of Mr Kabore’s overthrow; Mr Kabore failed to deal with Islamist militants, the new junta indicted him.

Col. Paul Henri Sandaogo Damiba was the lead mutineer of the January 2022 coup as well as the leader of the Patriotic Movement for Safeguard and Restoration (MPSR).

Trained in France, as was Guinean coup leader, Mamady Doumbouya, Col. Damiba was not a novice in coups d’états. He was involved in a 2015 failed overthrow of the government in Burkina Faso.

Col.Damiba inspired hope then. He promised to exterminate terrorists from Burkina Faso. It appeared reasonable, thought unconstitutional, to rely on Col. Damiba’s promise then. Just the year before in June 2021, Col. Damiba had authored a book on the subject: “West African Armies and Terrorism: Uncertain Responses.”

Col. Damiba was not just a soldier who only knew how to shoot a gun. He also claimed to know how to use the gun to fight one of the most pressing challenges of our times: terrorism; he published his expertise.

But still, many, including ECOWAS, condemned the coup and were doubtful of Col. Damiba’s dream for a secured Burkina Faso.
ECOWAS, led by its Chairperson, immediately called for calm and expressed the support of the regional bloc for an anticipated civilian elected government.

September Coup

On Friday, September 30, 2022, barely 10 months after the removal of Mr Kabore from power, another coup took place following heavy artillery gunfire in the morning amid a heavy military presence in the capital Ouagadougou, forcing the state broadcaster to go off air for hours.

Army Captain Ibrahim Traoré announced that a new military group, which he leads, had overthrown the Col. Damiba-led junta. Capt. Traoré told the world that his junta was only taking over the leadership of the MPSR from Col. Damiba and his close cohorts.

Capt. Traoré and his boys with guns dissolved the government, dissolved the Transitional Legislative Assembly (ALT), dissolved the Transition Charter and closed the borders.

Traoré states as reason for the coup, the worsening insecurity situation in the country; Col. Damiba failed to honour his pledge to halt Islamist attacks.

True, under Col. Damiba’s brief leadership, Burkina Faso has been insecure. Terrorists continue to visit fatal raids on both armed forces and civilians. Recently 11 soldiers were killed by terrorists while escorting a convoy of civilian vehicles in northern Burkina Faso.

In the midst of the country’s insecurity, Col. Damiba was focus on building his political career instead of fighting the jihadists as he promised in January, an angry Capt. Traoré claims.

A third coup may be stewing. A member of the new junta, Sous-Lieutenant Jean-Baptiste Kabre, accuses France of assisting Col. Damiba to stage a comeback with a “counter-offensive.”

Confirmed reports tell of violent attacks on the French Embassy in the Burkinabe capital, Ouagadougou, last Saturday, October 1, 2022.

France has denied providing refuge to Col. Damiba.

Again, of course, ECOWAS has condemned this coup too. The AU has called on the new junta to “refrain from any acts of violence or threats” against people and comply “with electoral deadlines for the restoration of constitutional order.

Bleak future

At least, Col. Damiba wrote a book on terrorism and sought to combat it. I am not sure what Capt. Traoré’s claim to expertise on terrorism is: Except that he has guns and bombs and knows how to shoot and bomb. Capt. Traoré’s is less convincing than Col. Damiba was.

But Burkina Faso is burning while the terrorists are probably having a good laugh at how the nation’s army is so committed to helping them execute their evil plan: Burn Burkina Faso.

The writer is a lawyer/doctoral fellow at Fordham Law School, N.Y., USA. E-mail: pbatinge@fordham.edu