Burkina Faso’s Military Announces Takeover On Live TV, Suspends Constitution

Burkina Faso’s military has announced it has removed the president, Roch Marc Kaboré, from office, suspended the constitution and dissolved the government and parliament, confirming a coup in a statement on the state broadcaster.

In a statement signed by the coup leader, Lt Col Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba, and read by another official, the army announced the takeover by a previously unknown group – Patriotic Movement for Safeguard and Restoration (MPSR).

“MPSR, which includes all sections of the army, has decided to end President Kaboré’s post today,” said the statement, which came following a frenetic day of confusion, as well as silence from the now-deposed government.

The deterioration of security in the West African country, beset by jihadist violence, had forced it to seize power, the MPSR said, confirming a coup that followed heavy gunfire at military barracks in the country and at Kaboré’s residence on Sunday night in the capital, Ouagadougou.

Earlier, Kaboré was arrested and detained by soldiers in a move condemned by the Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas), and hailed by groups of protesters in the capital.

Many in the country had lost faith in Kaboré, angry at relentless attacks by jihadist groups and failings in the counter-insurgency effort.

On Monday morning, armoured vehicles belonging to his presidential guard were seen covered in bullets and the seats soaked in blood, near the president’s residence.

Before the televised statement, a statement from Kaboré’s Twitter account urged soldiers behind the coup attempt to lay down their weapons. “I invite those who have taken up arms to lay them down in the higher interests of the nation. It is through dialogue and listening that we must resolve our contradictions,” the statement said.

It is not clear if he personally made the statement. His ruling MPP party also said that the president had survived an assassination attempt and that the national broadcast stations had been occupied by the army.

Military convoys were seen surrounding the country’s state broadcaster on Monday morning, with anti-government protesters gathering outside the building in fevered anticipation of a statement, which finally came on Monday evening.

The coup in Burkina Faso, comes after similar powergrabs in Guinea, Mali and Chad in the last year, amid growing jihadist and political instability in some west African countries and the Sahel region.

On Monday Ecowas released a statement condemning the soldiers’ “extreme acts”. It said: “Ecowas asks the military to return to the barracks, to maintain a republican position in favour of dialogue with the authorities to solve these problems.”

Gunfire was heard at several military barracks, with initial reports of a mutiny by soldiers, demanding the sacking of the country’s military leadership and lamenting a lack of resources in the conflict with jihadist groups.

As reports of gunfire spread on Sunday, protesters looted and set fire to the headquarters of Kaboré’s ruling party, while police dispersed demonstrations in support of a potential coup, held in the centre of the city.

Overwhelmed by the toll of attacks and a resulting humanitarian crisis, many in Burkina Faso have grown angry at Kaboré’s government, especially after some of the worst mass killings by jihadist groups in the last year.

In recent months, protests against the government by civilians and a coalition of opposition groups had put Kaboré’s regime under pressure and forced a raft of changes, including a new cabinet and military leadership.

Yet it has done little to quell antipathy to Kaboré, or to the country’s former colonial ruler, France, which maintains a widely unpopular military presence in the country. This has mirrored similar antipathy across the Sahel, where French troops have been engaged in the fight against jihadists groups.

On Sunday the government quickly denied rumours of a coup, yet internet networks were cut in the country and a curfew was imposed from 8pm “until further notice”.

A list of demands presented by soldiers made no mention of trying to oust Kaboré, instead calling for an improved anti-jihadist strategy and more support for troops, the wounded and their families.

“We want adequate resources for the battle” against Islamist extremists, a soldier from the Sangoulé Lamizana base in Ouagadougou said in a voice recording received by Agence France-Presse.

The unrest comes a little over a week after 12 people, including a senior army officer, were arrested on suspicion of planning to “destabilise” Burkina’s institutions.

An African diplomat in the country said: “Widely within the military there is what you could you liken to dissension. In November he sacked a lot of the top military officials – that has likely caused some to see an opportunity to take advantage.

“Then there is of course the fact they are taking a cue from what is going on in the region, in Mali, Guinea,” they added, referring to military coups in former colonies in west Africa in the last year.

The government initially dismissed the military unrest, with the defence minister, Gen Barthelemy Simporé, stating on nationwide TV on Sunday that “none of the republic’s institutions has been troubled” by the revolt.

No official government statements were published on Monday.

Kaboré came to power after the former president Blaise Compaoré was overthrown by a popular uprising in 2014 and fled to Ivory Coast. Compaoré is being tried in absentia for the assassination of the former revolutionary leader Thomas Sankara.

Since 2015 a jihadist insurgency, spreading from neighbouring Mali, has overwhelmed the large and poor west African country. Thousands have died and about 1.5 million people are internally displaced.