Africa
Burkina Faso Coup: Why did the military depose President Kaboré?
By Matthew Eloyi
Hundreds of people are said to have been rejoicing in Burkina Faso’s capital, Ouagadougou, since the military seized power on Monday.
President Roch Kaboré’s deposition was unpleasant but not unexpected, and it marks the fourth coup in West Africa in the previous 17 months. Within that period, Mali has witnessed two military operations, both spurred by fears about the country’s ability to deal with rising militant Islamist violence.
Mr Kabore’s removal, like that of Mali, was precipitated by growing dissatisfaction among security personnel over his alleged failure to sufficiently help them in their fight against militants linked to both al-Qaeda and the Islamic State.
Several military camps in the city, Ouagadougou, as well as the northern towns of Kaya and Ouahigouya, reported mutinies on Sunday. Months of anti-government protests seeking the president’s resignation preceded the turmoil.
According to UN estimates, militant attacks that began in 2015 have killed over 2,000 lives and prompted 1.5 million people to flee their homes. In many parts of the country, schools are shuttered because it is too risky to open them.
After an incident in the northern village of Solhan in June 2021, public confidence in the president’s handling of the security problem plummeted. The attack, which was blamed on Islamists who had crossed from Mali, killed over 100 people.
Opposition protests in the capital erupted in response to the Solhan attack, forcing Mr Kaboré to restructure his government and nominate himself as defense minister. In November 2021, another attack on the northern Inata military base inflamed public opinion against the administration. A total of more than 50 security personnel were slain. According to reports, the base transmitted a distress letter two weeks before the invasion, requesting food rations and more equipment, which never arrived. Ahead of national reconciliation discussions with the opposition, the president dissolved his administration and appointed a new prime minister and defense minister.
Despite the security and political unrest in West Africa, Burkina Faso had a tenuous sense of stability until a public revolt in 2014 deposed former President Blaise Compaoré. The military was significantly divided following a coup attempt in 2015. Mr Kaboré was initially elected in that year on a platform of national unity. As Mr Kaboré prepared to take the helm, militants from neighboring Mali, where a separatist uprising was hijacked by jihadists in 2012, launched an attack in Burkina Faso’s capital. Armed groups used a lack of security in Burkina Faso’s vulnerable borderlands to launch more attacks and consolidate their hold.
In Burkina Faso, jihadists have sparked sectarian tensions between previously coexisting Christian and Muslim populations. Militants have taken advantage of the lack of state presence and humanitarian aid, leaving populations exposed and susceptible to recruitment. The militant presence has also hampered political engagement. Voters who had fled their homes in the north and east were unable to vote in the presidential election in 2020, which saw Mr Kaboré re-elected with 58 percent of the vote. During the president’s second term, militant pressure on communities heightened public discontent.
Escalating Jihadist Retaliation Claims Over 120 Lives in Burkina Faso
Human Rights Watch (HRW) revealed on Wednesday that jihadist groups in Burkina Faso have intensified attacks on civilians, particularly targeting those accused of collaborating with government forces or refusing to join their ranks.
The conflict, fueled by insurgents linked to al-Qaeda and ISIS, has plagued the West African nation for nearly a decade, spilling over from neighbouring Mali.
Under military leader Ibrahim Traore, Burkina Faso has recruited thousands of civilian volunteers, known as VDPs, to assist in the fight. However, this move has provoked increasingly violent reprisals from jihadist factions, leading to tragic consequences for local communities.
HRW documented seven attacks between February and June, resulting in the deaths of at least 128 civilians.
These assaults, including a massacre in a Catholic church and strikes on displaced persons camps, were attributed to al-Qaeda affiliate Jama’a Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin (JNIM) and ISIS-linked Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS).
Witnesses claimed some attacks were motivated by civilians’ involvement with government forces.
“We are between a rock and a hard place,” a 56-year-old villager lamented, describing the dire situation faced by many.
HRW’s report also highlighted that some villagers were killed after being forced by authorities to return to areas previously overtaken by jihadists.
In response, Burkina Faso’s justice minister dismissed HRW’s claims of slow prosecutions, asserting that human rights violations by insurgents are being investigated.
The junta, which came to power following a coup in 2022, faces growing criticism for its handling of the crisis, with analysts noting a further deterioration in security under Traore’s leadership.
Despite Traore’s promises to restore stability, the conflict shows no signs of abating, with HRW citing the recent massacre in Barsalogho, where hundreds were killed, as one of the deadliest incidents in the country’s history.
A Tunisian court sentenced opposition party leader Lotfi Mraihi, a potential presidential election candidate, to eight months in prison on a charge of vote buying, his lawyer said on Friday.
The court also banned Mraihi, leader of the Republican Union Party and one of the most prominent critics of President Kais Saied, from running in presidential elections for life, his lawyer Omar Ismail said.
Mraihi will appeal the sentence, Ismail added.
Opposition parties, many of whose leaders are in prison, have accused Saied’s government of exerting pressure on the judiciary to crack down on his rivals in the 2024 elections and pave the way for him to win a second term.
Elected president in 2019, Saied has not officially announced his candidacy for the vote expected to be held on Oct. 6.
Still, it is widely anticipated that he will seek a second term.
He said last year he would not hand power to what he called non-patriots.
The opposition says fair and credible elections cannot be held unless imprisoned politicians are released and the media can do its job without pressure from the government.
In 2021, Saied dissolved parliament and began ruling by decree in a move the opposition have described as a coup.
Saied said his steps were legal and necessary to end years of rampant corruption among the political elite.
(Reuters/NAN)
Nigerian, South African Defence Chiefs Unite Against Continental Security Challenges
The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Gen. Christopher Musa, has called for stronger ties between the Armed Forces of Nigeria and the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) to tackle the complex security issues facing Africa.
Gen. Musa made this appeal during an official visit to his South African counterpart, Gen. Rudzani Maphwanya, in Pretoria, South Africa. The call for enhanced cooperation was highlighted in a statement released by Brig.-Gen. Tukur Gusau, Acting Director of Defence Information, on Tuesday in Abuja.
“The meeting is a panacea to addressing the multifaceted challenges bedevilling the continent,” Gen. Musa emphasized. He underscored the importance of mutual cooperation and strengthening bilateral ties to combat regional security threats.
During their closed-door meeting, both leaders discussed various strategies to address these challenges, focusing on the exchange of expertise and forging stronger ties for the betterment of the continent.
Gen. Musa was honoured with Cannon Gun Salutes, a mark of high regard, during his visit. Brig.-Gen. Gusau noted the significance of the meeting between the two largest economies and military powers in Africa.
The meeting also saw the presence of SANDF Chiefs of Intelligence, Policy and Plans, International Affairs, and Joint Operations, among other departmental chiefs, highlighting the comprehensive nature of the discussions aimed at enhancing regional security cooperation.
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