Burkina Faso: Ousted coup leader resigns and flew to Togo as Traore assumes full control.
Lt. Col. Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba of Burkina Faso resigned as interim president and leader of the MPSR junta that brought him to power on January 24, 2022.
He then flew out of the country for Togo two days after being deposed in a coup led by Captain Ibrahim Traore.
Damiba's departure was confirmed by two diplomats who spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity because the matter was sensitive. The Associated Press, AP, reported that it was unclear whether Togo was his final destination.
On Sunday, mediating religious leaders confirmed that Damiba offered his resignation on seven conditions, all of which were accepted by the new leadership, the most important of which was that his security and that of his close allies be guaranteed.
During a meeting with heads of government, the new leader stated that the country needed to be saved as soon as possible. "We must complete in three months what should take a year," he declared when meeting with ministry secretaries.
Captain Ibrahim Traore, Burkina Faso's new military ruler, appeared on television on Sunday, October 2, after driving through parts of the capital Ouagadougou with heavily armed guards.
Traore assured the population in a TV address read by a spokesman while standing to the left that the situation in the country was under control, and he also asked people to go about their daily activities and avoid violence and vandalism.
Capt. Kiswendsida Farouk Azaria Sorgho, a junta representative, urged people to "refrain from any act of violence and vandalism," particularly against the French Embassy or the French military base.
His remarks follow the violent attacks on the French Embassy in Ouagadougou, photos and videos of which went viral on October 1.
According to reports, French businesses, as well as a French Institute in Bobo-Dioulasso and a French military base - the base, according to an army spokesperson, was housing the ousted leader.
The French Foreign Ministry, on the other hand, issued a strong condemnation of the violent acts and denied any allegations of sheltering the ousted leader at their base or any other facility.
ECOWAS and the African Union, or AU, have strongly condemned the unconstitutional power grab and demanded a return to the roadmap for a civilian transition by 2024.
The underlying reasons for the takeover of September 30 was the increasing deterioration of security across the country.
The same reason was advanced by Damiba in January when he deposed democratically-elected Christian Roch Marc Kabore before the birth of the MPSR.
Damiba according to the Associated Press gave seven conditions before accepting to resign but has flown to Togo as of October 2.
A call for calm from Captain Traoré in Burkina Faso. Told people to stop attacks on French embassy. Says things are getting back to normal. Has the ousted military leader Lt Col Damiba agreed to step aside?
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