By John Ikani
The mediator sent to Burkina Faso by West Africa’s main political and economic bloc ECOWAS on Tuesday said he was satisfied by a meeting with the country’s new military leader Ibrahim Traore.
The mediator and former Niger President, Mahamadou Issoufo met with the Junta leader at the Ouagadougou airport where dozens of demonstrators were calling for more Russian co-operation and chanting anti-France and anti-Ecowas slogans.
The meeting was aimed at discussing plans for a democratic transition after the country’s second coup this year, the interim presidency said.
ECOWAS urged the military officials that took control on Friday to respect a timetable agreed with their predecessors to return troubled Burkina Faso to constitutional rule by July 2024, a timeline the previous junta had accepted.
Prior to the meeting, Captain Traoré who led the takeover that overthrew interim President Paul-Henri Damiba last week told Radio France International that he will honor the ECOWAS deadline.
Frustrations over growing insecurity spurred both the first military takeover in January and the latest coup.
ECOWAS is struggling to facilitate a return to constitutional order in Burkina Faso, Chad, Guinea and Mali, all of which have seen coups since 2020.
