On Monday, Burkina Faso’s army took control of the country, effectively deposing President Roch Kabore. The military dissolved the government and parliament, suspended the constitution, and closed down the country’s borders. The coup was announced on state television by Captain Sidsore Kader Ouedraogo. Captian Ouedraogo stated that the coup was in response to an ongoing security situation in the country fueled by an incapable government that was unable to unite the population. The new leader of Burkina Faso is Lieutenant Colonel Paul-Henri Damiba, a senior military official. In December, Damiba was promoted by former President Kabore to commander of the country’s third military region.
Kabore’s whereabouts remain unknown. He has not been seen in public since fighting broke out on Sunday around the presidential palace in Ouagadougou. One of the coup leaders told media outlets that Kabore was detained on Monday by soldiers who had taken control of a military base. The soldiers then storms palace grounds and fired shots near the president’s home. The same source stated that Kabore has signed his resignation and is being held in a safe and secure location. Kabore reached out to the public via Twitter on Monday afternoon, following the coup.
Read More: Burkina Faso’s military seizes power in a coup, detains president and dissolves government
