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.