AU condemns Burkina Faso coup, insists on respect for 2024 transition date
Captain Ibrahim Traore announcing the ouster of Lt. Col. Damiba
The African Union, AU, has joined the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, in condemning the September 30, 2022 coup that took place in Burkina Faso, where a new military junta overthrew another.
Read full articleWhat started out as an exchange of heavy gunfire on Friday morning was confirmed late in the evening with a broadcast on National TV announcing the takeover.
In a statement issued from the ECOWAS Commission hours after the announcement, the bloc said it firmly condemned the incident at a time the Lt. Col. Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba-led junta was making progress on an orderly return to constitutional order by July 1, 2024.
The new junta led by Captain Ibrahim Traore said a new leader - civilian or military will be be announced in due course, but before that some measures put in place include dissolution of the government, the Transitional Legislative Assembly (ALT), and the Transition Charter as well as the closure of borders.
The AU statement signed by the Chairperson of the African Union Commission was titled: 'The Chairperson of the African Union Commission unequivocally condemns the second takeover of power by force in Burkina Faso,' and it read:
"In strong support of ECOWAS, the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, H.E. Moussa Faki Mahamat, and in conformity with the Lomé Declaration of Year 2000, the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance and the Accra Declaration on Unconstitutional Changes of Government, expresses his deep concern about the resurgence of unconstitutional changes of Government in Burkina Faso and elsewhere on the African Continent.
"The Chairperson calls upon the military to immediately and totally refrain from any acts of violence or threats to the civilian population, civil liberties, human rights, and ensure strict compliance with electoral deadlines for the restoration of Constitutional order by 1 July 2024, at the latest.
"The Chairperson reaffirms the continued support of the African Union to the people of Burkina Faso to ensure peace, stability and development of the country."
SARA
