SpaceWar.com - Your World At War
West Africa bloc to discuss Burkina Faso crisis Friday
Lagos, Jan 26 (AFP) Jan 26, 2022
The West African bloc ECOWAS will meet virtually on Friday to discuss the crisis in Burkina Faso, where army officers have ousted President Roch Marc Christian Kabore, the group said.

The Economic Community of West African States, which includes Burkina, had already condemned Monday's revolt, which came amid deepening anger over Kabore's response to a jihadist insurgency.

The extraordinary summit on Burkina will start at 1000 GMT on Friday and be held virtually, ECOWAS said in a note on Wednesday.

A source in Kabore's party said earlier that the ousted president "is physically well" and was being held by the army in a villa.

Kabore, 64, was elected in 2015 following a popular revolt that forced out strongman Blaise Compaore. He was re-elected in 2020.

But since last year he has faced a wave of discontent over jihadist attacks that have claimed some 2,000 lives and forced a million and a half people to flee their homes.

On Sunday, mutinies erupted in several army barracks a day after police dispersed banned protests, and on Monday the army rebels moved against Kabore.

The former French colony is now controlled by the Patriotic Movement for Preservation and Restoration (MPSR) -- a junta led by Lieutenant-Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba, a commander in the jihadist-torn east.

The MPSR has announced the suspension of the constitution and dissolution of the government and parliament.

Three of ECOWAS' 15 members have now experienced military coups in less than 18 months.

In August 2020, army officers ousted Mali's elected president, Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, who had likewise been facing protests over his handling of the country's jihadist crisis.

Guinea underwent a coup in September last year, when officers toppled President Alpha Conde, 83,who had been president since 2010.

He sparked mass protests when he changed the constitution to allow himself to seek a third term at the ballot box.

Both Guinea and Mali have been suspended from ECOWAS, and the bloc has imposed an array of sanctions against those countries.


ADVERTISEMENT




Space News from SpaceDaily.com
Maven stays silent after routine pass behind Mars
ICE-CSIC leads a pioneering study on the feasibility of asteroid mining
NASA JPL Unveils Rover Operations Center for Moon, Mars Missions

24/7 Energy News Coverage
Thorium plated steel points to smaller nuclear clocks
Solar ghost particles seen flipping carbon atoms in underground detector
Overview Energy debuts airborne power beaming milestone for space based solar power

Military Space News, Nuclear Weapons, Missile Defense
Autonomous DARPA project to expand satellite surveillance network by BAE Systems
IAEA calls for repair work on Chernobyl sarcophagus
Momentus joins US Space Force SHIELD contract vehicle

24/7 News Coverage
UAlbany Atmospheric Scientist Proposes Innovative Method to Reduce Aviation's Climate Impact
Digital twin successfully launched and deployed into space
Robots that spare warehouse workers the heavy lifting



All rights reserved. Copyright Agence France-Presse. Sections of the information displayed on this page (dispatches, photographs, logos) are protected by intellectual property rights owned by Agence France-Presse. As a consequence, you may not copy, reproduce, modify, transmit, publish, display or in any way commercially exploit any of the content of this section without the prior written consent of Agence France-Presse.