By John Ikani
Lieutenant Colonel Paul-Henri Damiba, leader of the military junta that ousted the Government of President Roch Kaboré on Monday, has promised a return of Burkina Faso to normal constitutional order “when the conditions are right”.
Wearing a red beret and army fatigues, Lt-Col Damiba on Thursday addressed the country for the first time on national television since taking power
He blamed the President for failing to contain violence by Islamist militants.
“When the conditions are right, according to the deadline that our people will define in all sovereignty, I commit to a return to a normal constitutional order,” he said.
The 41-year-old who noted that he will meet representatives of various sections of society to agree on a roadmap for reform, added that Burkina Faso needs international partners “more than ever”, following condemnation of the coup.
“I call on the international community to support our country so it can exit this crisis as soon as possible.”
Burkina Faso is the third West African country to witness a military takeover in recent years. Guinea and Mali have had sanctions imposed on them by regional bloc ECOWAS to press them to return to constitutional order.
ECOWAS meets on Friday (today) to discuss how to respond to the region’s latest coup.
