Another Coup In Burkina Faso As Army Deposed Ruling Military Leader

More than a dozen soldiers in Burkina Faso took over state television and announced that Lt. Col. Paul Henri Sandaogo Damiba, the country's coup leader turned president, had been removed on Friday.

Capt. Ibrahim Traore will be the new leader of the country, which is confronting a growing Islamic insurgency leading to instability. 

Damiba was sworn in with the help of his allies after deposing the democratically elected president and claiming that he would increase security in the nation nine months ago. But after the continuous violence, the opposition against his government aggravated. 

The soldiers read the statement aloud on Friday on television, “In light of the ongoing deterioration of the security situation, we have repeatedly tried to refocus the transition on security issues.”

Burkina Faso's recent military power takeover follows in Mali's footsteps. This neighbouring country also saw a second coup nine months after its president was deposed in August 2020.

As the leader of Burkina Faso, Damiba had just returned from the UN General Assembly, but tensions had been escalating for weeks.