The West African regional bloc, ECOWAS, has suspended Burkina Faso in response to Monday’s coup that removed the democratically elected President Roch Marc Christian Kabore.
The decision was taken at an extraordinary summit of heads of state of the bloc, which was held on Friday, January 28.
In a communique issued after the summit which was held virtually, the group strongly condemned the coup and expressed “deep concern” over the resurgence of military coups in the region following the coups in Mali, Guinea and now Burkina Faso.
“The Authority reaffirms its resolute commitment to upholding the zero tolerance for acceding power through unconstitutional means as enshrined in the 2001 ECOWAS Supplementary Protocol on Democracy and Good governance,” the communique reads.
No sanctions were immediately announced.
But the heads of State resolved to dispatch facts finding teams to Ouagadougou for consultations.
Suspension is usually the first step taken against a country in violation of the ECOWAS protocol prohibiting military takeovers.
The ousting of Mr Kabore followed days of anti-government protests over his government’s supposed failure to deal with insecurities plaguing the Sahelian nation.
The Patriotic Movement for Safeguard and Restoration (MPSR), which is in charge of the country, has not provided any detail plan of a transition.
The new junta leader, Lieutenant Colonel Paul-Henri Damiba, made his first public appearance since taking over on Thursday, in an address to the nation in which he defended his action. He blamed it on the inability of the former President to secure the country. He also called on the international community to support Burkina Faso fix its problem, while promising to return the country to democracy “within a reasonable time frame”.
Ten heads of state attended the summit which was chaired by Ghanaian President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, who is the chairperson of ECOWAS. They include President Julius Maada Bio and Liberia’s George Weah.
Also in attendance was the President of the ECOWAS Commission, Jean-Claude Kassi Brou and his African Union counterpart, Moussa Faki Mahamat. The UN Special Representative to West Africa and the Sahel, Mahamat Saleh Annadif, also attended.
Image source: Radiodiffusion Télévision du Burkina
In their communique, the West African leaders demanded the immediate release and protection of President Kabore and all the other political detainees. The country was suspended from all institutions of the bloc. And they demanded the immediate restoration of constitutional order and urged the army to remain republican by focusing on the role of safeguarding the territorial integrity of the country.
The communique also said that a delegation of the Committee of Chiefs of Defence Staff (CCDS) will be deployed to Burkina Faso to hold consultations with leaders of the junta, carry out an assessment of the security situation in the country and submit a report to be reviewed by the heads of state.
The ECOWAS Commission will also facilitate the deployment of a joint ECOWAS Ministerial Mission to the country on 31st January, to assess the political situation and submit their report to the heads of state.
Another Extraordinary Summit will then be convened on 3rd February 2022 in Accra, Ghana to re-examine the situation in the three countries under military rule in the region.
