Burkina Faso: Military not in a hurry to step aside – Coup leader
The military in Burkina Faso says they will stay in power until the circumstances are right.
Lieutenant Colonel Paul-Henri Damiba, who led the ouster of President Roch Kabore, made the declaration.
In his first speech, the coup leader blamed Kabore for failing to aggressively push back Islamist militants.
“When the conditions are right, according to the deadline that our people will define in all sovereignty, I commit to a return to a normal constitutional order”, he said.
Damiba revealed plans to meet representatives of different sections to agree on a roadmap for reform.
The mutineer added that Burkina Faso needed international partners “more than ever”.
Damiba urged the international community “to support our country so it can exit this crisis as soon as possible”.
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) suspended Burkina Faso on Friday.
Ghana’s President Nana Akufo-Addo said coup d’etats were violation of democratic tenets.
“It represents a threat to peace, security and stability in West Africa”, Akufo-Addo stressed.
The military takeover in Burkina Faso is the third in the region since August 2020.
