Opinion
With barely a month and a few days to general elections in October, this year, another military coup has apparently replaced the interim national government of Burkina Faso.
The Burkina Faso presidential guard unit broke into a cabinet meeting last Wednesday in Ouagadogou and captured the interim president, the prime minister and two cabinet ministers.
After putting the hostages away at the presidential palace in Ouagadogou, the capital city, leaders of the presidential guard unit told the Burkinabe people on Thursday, September 17, that they had seized power.
A military spokesman, Col Mamadou Bamba, said in a broadcast that the presidential guard unit, known as Presidential Security Regiment (RSP in French) had, toppled the National Transition Council, an interim government, to make way for a National Council for Democracy.
It was necessary to end the temporary government, he said, because that regime had deviated from the October, 2014 revolt.
In 2014, the government of Capt. Blaise Campaore was overthrown in a popular military takeover. Days of street protests against attempts by Capt. Campaore to amend the constitution and remain in power for more years forced him to step down on October 31, 2014.
He left the country and is presently living in Cote d’Ivoire, a neighbouring West African country. A former chief of staff, Gilbert Diendere, in the Capt. Campaore regime, is leader of the coup makers. But the former president has denied having anything to do with the latest military takeover.
Supporters of the detained interim president, Michel Kafando, and the prime minister, Isaac Zida, broke onto the streets and gathered around the presidential palace in Ouagadogou shouting: “Free the hostages”.
Soldiers of the presidential guard unit dispersed the protesters by firing into the air but about six persons were reportedly killed.
The interim president, Mr Kafando, in condemning the coup, said in a statement that he remained the leader of Burkina Faso.
He said the military takeover was a “serious attack on the republic and its institutions”.
Mr Kafando, a former foreign minister and Burkinabe ambassador to the United Nations, called on the coup makers to abandon their attempt to seize power from the National Transitional Council.
The UN, the United States and France were among countries and institutions that have condemned the coup.
In a statement, the UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, asked the coup leaders to release the hostages and to restore the interim government.
“The Secretary-General deplores the violence in the country and calls on the Burkinabe defence and security forces to exercise restraint and ensure human rights and security of all Burkinabe citizens… Those responsible for the coup d’état and its consequences must be held accountable,” the statement said.
The UN Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein, said in a statement from the commission’s Geneva Headquarters: “The arrest and detention of the president, the prime minister and two ministers by members of the Presidential Security Regiment is unacceptable.”
“Burkina Faso’s main trades union, the General Labour Federation, also condemned the military takeover and has planned “to observe a general strike throughout the territory against the RSP interference in politics, and for true democracy”.
In reaction to the coup, the African Union (AU) decided to suspend Burkina Faso from the organisation.
The AU also threatened to impose sanctions if the coup makers failed to restore the interim government and release the detained interim president, the prime minster and the two ministers.
In a statement from its headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, the AU gave the coup leaders 96 hours or until September 22, 2015, to return Burkina Faso to normalcy.
The AU warned that it would impose travel bans and freeze assets of the coup leaders.
“Council (African Union Peace and Security Council) decides to suspend, with immediate effect, the participation of Burkina Faso in all African Union activities,” the statement said.
Why did the elite Burkinabe Presidential Security Regiment soldiers decide to replace the National Interim Council with a National Democracy Council of their own?
The well-trained and well-equipped unit of 1,300 soldiers was formed in 1987 by Capt. Blaise Campaore who overthrew President Thomas Sankara, became president and reigned for 27 years.
That unit was not disbanded when Capt. Campaore was himself overthrown in October, 2014.
Independent of the regular Burkinabe armed forces, the presidential guard unit had reportedly interfered, a number of times, in the work of the interim government.
For example, in June, this year, it asked the country’s Prime Minister, Isaac Zida, to step down because he had requested that the unit be disbanded in the interest of national security.
Last April, the interim administration passed a law that effectively banned supporters of “unconstitutional change” from taking part in future democratic governance of the country.
That means most leaders of the political party that Capt. Campaore belongs would not be eligible to run in the October 11, 2015 presidential and general elections.
Last Monday (September 14), the National Reconciliation and Reform Council recommended that the presidential guard unit should be disbanded.
In explaining why the September 17 coup was made, the coup leaders said they were against the law that banned senior leaders of Capt. Campaore’s party from contesting in the impending elections.
They also did not want the presidential guard unit to be dissolved.
At the time of writing, a mediation team from neighbouring West African countries including presidents of Senegal, Benin, Chad and Niger had reportedly persuaded the coup makers to hand over to the National Interim Council.
An announcement was expected from the coup leaders on Sunday, September 20, to that effect, but it did not happen.
On Monday, September 21, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) announced that the coup leader, Gilbert Diendere, had agreed to hand over power on terms arranged by the mediation team.
That decision apparently followed an order from the regular Burkina Faso armed forces on Monday to the presidential guard unit leaders to handover or be ousted by force.
Indeed, soldiers of the armed forces with weapons were, thereafter, seen heading towards the presidential palace, the power base of the presidential guard unit.
