(Ouagadougou) Roch Marc Christian Kaboré, at the head of Burkina Faso since 2015, was overthrown on Monday by putschist soldiers who reproached him for his “inability” to prevent the descent into hell of his country undermined by jihadist violence.
Posted at 2:39 p.m.
The putschists claimed to have seized power without “bloodshed” or “physical violence”, but said nothing about the whereabouts of the ousted president.
In 2015, a year after the fall of Blaise Compaoré, overthrown by a popular insurrection after 27 years in power, the election of Mr. Kaboré, an affable 65-year-old man, raised great hopes for development and change in the ” country of upright men.
Islamist violence
But it was precisely in 2015 that Burkina Faso, hitherto spared, began to suffer attacks from armed jihadist groups which have only increased over the years.
When he was re-elected for a second term in 2020, the country sank into chaos, attacks by jihadist groups became almost daily, killing hundreds, whole sections of the country escaped the authority of the State and law enforcement seem unable to stem the spiral of violence.
He therefore made the promise during his election campaign that the fight against the jihadists would be his first priority.
But attacks and massacres in the north continue, such as those in the village of Solhan in June 2021 during which at least 132 civilians were killed, or Inata in mid-November of the same year when 57 people died, including 53 gendarmes. .
Consequently, the demonstrations of anger of populations exasperated by this violence multiply to denounce the “powerlessness” of the power, demonstrations most often repressed by the police.
Roch Marc Christian Kaboré, of the majority Mossie ethnic group, a former banker and a man reputed to be consensual, has failed to honor his promise despite several changes at the head of the army and the government.
“Diesel President”
His supporters have argued his record, citing the achievements, road infrastructure, health, drinking water, which seem out of step with reality: 1.5 million people have had to flee their homes because of jihadist violence, and thousands of schools had to close.
Son of a minister, a man with left-wing ideals claimed when he started out in politics after studying in France, he took advantage in the 1980s of the accession to power of Thomas Sankara, the father of the Marxist-inspired revolution, to become director of the Banque internationale du Burkina even before its thirtieth anniversary.
After the assassination of Sankara in 1987, he committed himself to the new strong man of Burkina, Blaise Compaoré. The rise was meteoric: several times Minister, Prime Minister, President of the Assembly… He was one of the key figures in the regime.
Considered a probable successor to Compaoré, Roch Marc Christian Kaboré suddenly fell into disgrace in 2012 for obscure reasons.
He slammed the door of the ruling party in 2014 at the twilight of the regime – being accused of opportunism by his detractors – and founded his own party, the People’s Movement for Progress (MPP).
A year later, after a transition, he took the reins of Faso, taking his time, going so far as to be nicknamed the “diesel president”. Then his “indolence” in the face of the security threat became another problem, according to his opponents.
He “is a kind of lazy king who multiplies the audiences and listens in his chair without making a decision”, affirmed in 2020 a diplomatic source in Abidjan.
Coup d’Etat: the film of the events
Incidents in demonstrations
On Saturday January 22, 2022, incidents broke out in Ouagadougou and other cities in Burkina Faso between the police and demonstrators who once again defied the ban on gathering to protest against the powerlessness of the authorities in the face of to the jihadist violence that has ravaged the country since 2015.
Sometimes mixed with inter-community clashes, jihadist violence has claimed more than 2,000 lives over the past six years and forced 1.5 million people to flee their homes.
Shooting in barracks
On Sunday, January 23, shots rang out in several barracks in the country: in the Sangoulé Lamizana camp, at the western exit of Ouagadougou, in the Baba Sy military camp, at the southern exit of the capital, at the nearby air base from the airport, as well as in barracks in Kaya and Ouahigouya (north).
Camp Sangoulé houses the prison where General Gilbert Diendéré, close to former President Blaise Compaoré who was overthrown in 2014, is detained. Sentenced to 20 years in prison for an attempted putsch in 2015, General Diendéré is currently on trial for his alleged role in the 1987 assassination of former President Thomas Sankara.
The government of President Roch Marc Christian Kaboré acknowledges the existence of the shootings, but denies “a takeover by the army”.
The power affirms that the institutions are not threatened “for the moment”. Since mid-January, several soldiers have been detained for alleged acts of “attempting to destabilize institutions”.
Ruling party headquarters burnt down
While the mobile internet has just been cut off, supporters of the mutineers set fire to the headquarters of the ruling party in Ouagadougou, before being dispersed by the police.
Outside the Sangoulé-Lamizana barracks, about forty soldiers fire into the air near several hundred jubilant people who have come to support them.
The perimeter around the airbase barracks is also cordoned off with hooded soldiers firing into the air.
Claims of the mutineers
The mutineer soldiers are demanding the “replacement” of the army chiefs, “appropriate means” in the fight against jihadist groups, as well as better care for the wounded according to a sound recording sent to AFP. On the other hand, they are not asking for the departure of the president.
In the afternoon, discussions take place between representatives of the mutineers and the Minister of Defence.
Curfew, schools closed
On the evening of the 23rd, the president decreed a curfew. The Ministry of Education announces that schools will remain closed for the next two days.
Shooting near the president’s residence
At the end of the day, shots were heard near the president’s residence, as well as in the Sangoulé Lamizana and Baba Sy military camps.
President arrested by soldiers
On the 24th, soldiers took up position in front of Radio Télévision du Burkina (RTB).
The president is arrested, detained in the Sangoulé Lamizana barracks, as well as the head of Parliament and ministers, according to security sources.
But, according to a government source, the president was exfiltrated from his residence on Sunday evening by gendarmes from his guard before the arrival of armed elements who fired on the vehicles in his convoy.
On Mr. Kaboré’s Twitter account, a message posted on Monday invites those who have taken up arms to lay them down in the best interests of the Nation.
The African Union (AU) strongly condemns the coup attempt while Mr. Kaboré’s party denounces a failed attempt to assassinate the president.
The EU and the United States call for the release of President Kaboré.
Soldiers announce they have taken power
Uniformed soldiers announced on national television that they had taken power, pledging to “return to constitutional order within a reasonable time”.
Reading a press release from Lieutenant-Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba, a captain also announces the closing of the borders, the dissolution of the government, of the National Assembly and the suspension of the Constitution.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres strongly condemns the military coup, calls on the perpetrators to lay down their arms and protect the President’s physical integrity.