Burkina Faso’s ousted leader offers to resign, mediator says

The religious leader who mediated Burkina Faso’s recent political crisis said the ousted coup leader in Burkina Faso offered to resign as long as his security and other conditions were met, while the leader of the new military junta that overthrew him has accepted this agreement.

A junta spokesman later announced on state television that their leader, Captain Ibrahim Traore, had been officially named head of state following Friday’s coup that overthrew Lieutenant Colonel Paul Henry Sandogo Damiba .

Their seizure of power marks the second military coup in Burkina Faso this year, deepening concerns that the political chaos could divert attention from the Islamist insurgents whose violence has killed thousands and forced the Two million people fled their homes.

This was followed by unrest in the capital Ouagadougou, where mobs attacked the French embassy and other French-linked locations on Saturday, falsely believing they were sheltering Lieutenant Colonel Damiba.

In addition to agreeing not to harm or prosecute him, Lieutenant Colonel Damiba asked Captain Traore and the new junta leadership to respect commitments already made to the West African regional group ECOWAS.

Lieutenant Colonel Dameba, who came to power in a coup last January, recently reached an agreement to hold elections by 2024.

“President Paul Henry Sandogo Damiba offered to resign to avoid conflict,” said Hamidou Yameogo, a spokesman for the mediation effort.

Captain Traore accepted the conditions, religious leaders said, but Lt. Col. Damiba himself did not immediately confirm his formal resignation. His whereabouts have been unknown since Friday night’s coup.

During the mediation process, the new junta leadership also called for an end to the unrest.

In a statement aired on state television, junta spokesman Captain Kisvencida Farouk Azaria Solho called on people to “stop any acts of violence and vandalism”, especially those targeting the French ambassador Museums or French military bases.

Anti-French sentiment has risen sharply after the new junta claimed that interim president Lieutenant Colonel Damiba was hiding at a French military base after being removed from office.

France vehemently denied the allegation, but soon torched protesters filled the perimeter of the French embassy in Ouagadougou.

The French foreign ministry condemned Saturday’s violence, denying any involvement in the rapidly developing events.

French institutions in Ouagadougou and the country’s second-largest city, Bobo-Dioulasso, were also targeted, with French citizens urged to be very cautious.

“The situation in Burkina Faso is very unstable,” a French spokeswoman told The Associated Press on Sunday.

Lieutenant Colonel Damiba came to power in January with a pledge to protect the country from jihadist violence. But the situation has only worsened as jihadists imposed blockades on towns and intensified their attacks. At least 11 soldiers were killed and 50 civilians were missing after gunmen attacked a supply convoy in the Sahel’s Gaskind commune last week.

The group of officers, led by Captain Traore, said on Friday that Lt. Col. Damiba had failed and was being removed from his post.

For some in Burkina Faso’s military, Lieutenant Colonel Damiba is also seen as too close to former colonizer France, which maintains a military presence in Africa’s Sahel region to help countries fight Islamic extremists.

Some supporters of the new coup leader, Captain Traore, have called on the Burkina Faso government to seek Russian support.

Supporters of Captain Traore were seen cheering and waving Russian flags outside state radio on Sunday.

In neighboring Mali, the coup leader invited Russian mercenaries from the Wagner Group to assist with security, a move that has drawn global condemnation and accusations of human rights abuses.