Burkina Faso is in for more troubles as West Africa’s main regional bloc Friday suspended her from its governing bodies over this week’s military coup.
ECOWAS could not muster enough strength to impose any sanction on the juntas over the military putsch, its member states said in a statement.
Burkina Faso’s army overthrew President Roch Kabore on Monday, presenting the latest test to the 15-member Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), which has struggled to mount an effective response to a series of coups in the region over the past 18 months.
Soldiers in Burkina Faso on Monday announced on state television that they had seized power following a mutiny over the civilian president’s failure to contain an Islamist insurgency.
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A junior officer announced the suspension of the constitution, the dissolution of the government and parliament, and the closure of the country’s borders.
Against this development, United Nations on Tuesday deplored the military takeover in Burkina Faso and called for the immediate release of President Roch Marc Christian Kabore and other top officials.
A delegation of ECOWAS defence chiefs travelled to Burkina Faso’s capital Ouagadougou on Saturday, followed by a ministerial mission a few days later, the statement said.
Heads of ECOWAS member states will reconvene for another summit in Ghana’s capital Accra on Feb. 3 to discuss the findings of the two delegations.
ECOWAS and its international allies have condemned the coup in Burkina Faso, which they fear could further destabilise a country beset by Islamist violence, but find themselves with limited leverage.
The bloc’s decision to not sanction Burkina Faso contrasted with its response to coups in Mali and Guinea, with which ECOWAS member states closed borders and imposed some economic sanctions after military takeovers in May and September.
ECOWAS sanctions on the juntas in Mali and Guinea have done little to sway their behaviour, however, nor did they deter the latest coup.
The bloc could still choose to sanction Burkina Faso when members reconvene next week.
Pro-democracy activists say ECOWAS is suffering from a crisis of credibility, with West Africans losing faith in regional leaders they see as manipulating the democratic process and failing to alleviate poverty or contain Islamist violence.
In opening remarks to the summit, Ghana’s President Nana Akufo-Addo, the acting ECOWAS chairman, acknowledged the organisation has work to do convincing people of the benefits of democracy.
“The happenings in the region tell us that not everybody has accepted democracy as the preferred mode of governance,” Akufo-Addo said.
Hardline
He added that the rest of the world was looking to ECOWAS “to be firm in this matter”.
ECOWAS imposed sanctions against Mali and Guinea following military takeovers in August 2020 and September 2021, respectively.
It significantly tightened the sanctions on Mali this month after the transitional government there went back on an earlier commitment to hold elections in February. The new restrictions included closing member states’ borders with Mali and freezing most financial transactions.
But the hard line has arguably backfired by boosting the junta’s support at home. Protests against the sanctions drew tens of thousands into the streets.
As in Mali, Burkina Faso’s coup was in part precipitated by public frustration with insecurity caused by an insurgency by militants linked to al Qaeda and Islamic State.
The violence has killed thousands and displaced millions across the Sahel region in recent years.
The coup leader, Lieutenant Colonel Paul-Henri Damiba, said on Thursday that Burkina Faso would return to constitutional order “when the conditions are right”.
The European Union has said it would follow ECOWAS in imposing sanctions on Mali. Asked by Reuters on Friday whether it also planned to impose sanctions on Burkina Faso, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell skirted the question.
UN seeks release of deposed President
The UN human rights office said it was crucial to preserve democratic space in the West African nation and ensure that the rule of law is respected.
“We call on the military to immediately release President Roch Marc Christian Kabore and other high-level officials who have been detained. We urge a swift return to constitutional order,” spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani told reporters in Geneva.
Michelle Bachelet, the UN high commissioner for human rights, visited the country in November 2021, when she stressed the importance of preserving the democratic and human rights gains made there.
“The high commissioner deeply deplores the military takeover of power in Burkina Faso,” said Shamdasani.
Macron said that France was “clearly, as always” in agreement with the Economic Community of West African States “in condemning this military coup.’’
Kabore, 64, was elected in 2015 following a popular revolt that forced out strongman Blaise Compaore.
He was re-elected in 2020, but the following year faced a wave of anger over the mounting toll from a jihadist insurgency that swept in from neighbouring Mali.
On Sunday, mutinies broke out in several barracks and the following day, Kabore was arrested and taken away by troops.
The impoverished Sahel state is being run by a junta led by Lieutenant-Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba, who commands military units in the country’s jihadist-torn east. (Reuters)
