Paris – Burkina Faso’s junta-led government has asked France to remove its troops from the insurgency-hit West African country.
Here is a timeline of events since January, 2022:
Clashes, army mutinie
On January 22, 2022, clashes erupt in several cities, including the capital Ouagadougou. Demonstrators protest against the failure of the authorities to crack down on jihadist violence, which has ravaged the country since 2015.
Sometimes mixed with inter-community fighting, the mounting violence has left thousands dead and around two million displaced.
On January 23, mutinous troops demand the “replacement” of army chiefs.
Military coup
On January 24, soldiers declare they have seized power and ousted elected civilian president Roch Marc Christian Kabore.
Lieutenant-Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba, is the new strongman.
He promises “a timetable for a return to constitutional order” within a “reasonable time”.
The takeover is greeted with jubilation in the streets of Ouagadougou.
Damiba becomes president
On February 10, Damiba is declared “president” by the Constitutional Council.
From mid-March, suspected jihadists renew deadly attacks on the population, killing hundreds.
On a visit to Ouagadougou on June 19 as West African mediator, Niger’s former president Mahamadou Issoufou estimates that nearly half of Burkina’s territory is beyond state control.
West African leaders agree with the junta on a two-year transition in early July.
On August 11, Kabore is authorised to leave the country for “medical reasons”.
Bloody September
Early in September, Damiba welcomes “relative calm” in a number of places — but deadly raids continue in the north, where jihadists have taken to blockading towns.
New coup
On the evening of September 30, after a day of gunfire in Ouagadougou’s presidential district, some 15 soldiers announce that Colonel Damiba has been relieved of his post in favour of 34-year-old Captain Ibrahim Traore.
ECOWAS condemns “seizure of power by force”, as Brussels and Washington express concern.
On October 2, Damiba agrees to step down. Diplomatic sources say he has fled to Togo.
President Traore
On October 14 Traore is designated transitional president ahead of elections in July 2024.
At his inauguration on October 21st, Traore says “the recapture of territory” held by jihadists is a top priority.
On October 28, hundreds demonstrate in the capital against the French presence in Burkina.
The army announces on November 24 that more than 90,000 civilians have signed up to join a voluntary force that supports the army.
Call for French troops to leave
In a foreign ministry letter, dated January 18, 2023, Burkina requests the termination of the 2018 agreement under which French troops were stationed in the country, and sets a deadline of a month for their departure.
On January 20, demonstrators in Ouagadougou demand the departure of French ambassador Luc Hallade and the closure of a base housing 400 French special forces troops.
On January 23, the government confirms the call for French forces to leave.
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Source: AFP
Picture: Twitter/@BateFelix
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