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MORE THAN A dozen mutinous soldiers have declared on state television that a military junta has seized control of Burkina Faso after the democratically elected president was detained following a day of gun battles in the capital.
Captain Sidsore Kaber Ouedraogo said that the Patriotic Movement for Safeguarding and Restoration would work to establish a calendar “acceptable to everyone” for holding new elections.
He did not give further details.
The statements came soon after the ruling political party warned that soldiers had nearly completed a coup in the West African nation after trying to assassinate President Roch Marc Christian Kabore and taking control of public airwaves.
It was not clear who was in control of the country, which was once a bastion of stability in the region but has been beset by a deepening Islamic insurgency in recent years.
The soldiers said the embattled president had been detained, but a statement on his Twitter account did not address whether he was in their custody.
“What appeared to be a simple mutiny by a few elements of the army” on Sunday was “moving hourly towards a military coup against our hard-won democracy,” said the statement issued by Kabore’s party.
The country’s democracy is “being held hostage by a group of armed men with ulterior motives”, the party warned.
The ruling party accused the mutinous soldiers of trying to assassinate Kabore and another government minister and said the presidential palace in Ouagadougou remained surrounded by “heavily armed and hooded men”.
The president’s tweet called on the soldiers to put down their arms, though it could not be confirmed whether he posted the statement himself.
Two soldiers told the Associated Press (AP) that they were holding the leader, but they would not say where they were keeping him.
Gunfire erupted early yesterday when soldiers took control of a major military barracks in the capital Ouagadougou.
In response, civilians rallied in a show of support for the rebellion but were dispersed by security forces firing tear gas.
Burkina Faso has seen a series of anti-government protests as anger has mounted over the handling of the Islamic insurgency.
Groups of people celebrated again in the streets of the capital on Monday morning after reports of Kabore’s capture.
Kabore was elected in 2015 after a popular uprising ousted long-time strongman President Blaise Compaore.
He was re-elected in November 2020, but frustration has been growing at his inability to stem the spread of jihadist violence across the country.
Attacks linked to al Qaida and the Islamic State group are escalating, killing thousands and displacing more than an estimated 1.5 million people.
The military has suffered losses since the extremist violence began in 2016.
In December, more than 50 security forces were killed and nine more died in November.
Mutinous soldiers told the AP that the government was out of touch with troops and that they wanted military rule.
Among their demands are more forces in the battle against extremists and better care for the wounded and the families of the dead.
About 100 military members have planned the takeover since August, according to one of the mutinous soldiers.
Sahel experts say the government was overstretched, but it is unlikely the mutiny will change anything.
“Burkina Faso’s army is profoundly ill-equipped and unprepared for the war it’s asked to fight. It’s out of its depth,” said Michael Shurkin, a former political analyst at the CIA and director of global programmes at 14 North Strategies, a business intelligence consultancy based in Senegal.
“Its frustration with an equally out-of-its-depth government is understandable. Regrettably, this is unlikely to improve anything.”
As protests over the weekend and today showed, discontent among the general population is also growing.
“People are tired with this situation of insecurity. Every day, people are killed. In Burkina, there are areas that can’t be accessed. We have lost a big part of our territory,” said Jean-Baptiste Ilboudou, a civilian who was biking near the military base when gunshots were heard.
The West African regional bloc known as ECOWAS, which has already suspended Mali and Guinea in the past 18 months over military coups, issued a statement of support for Burkina Faso’s embattled president and urged dialogue with the mutineers.
Burkina Faso has also seen its share of coup attempts and military takeovers – though it experienced a period of relative stability under Compaore, who ruled for 27 years until his ousting in 2014.
Earlier this month, authorities arrested a group of soldiers accused of participating in a foiled coup plot.
It was not immediately known whether there was any connection between those soldiers and the ones rebelling now.
Military prosecutors said nine soldiers and two civilians were being held in connection with the plot.
In 1987, Compaore came to power by force.
And in 2015, soldiers loyal to him attempted to overthrow the transitional government put into place after his ousting.
The army was ultimately able to put the transitional authorities back in power, who led again until Kabore won an election and took office.
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Execution of those responsible for that massacre would be too good for them.
Seems very soon to be doing so though, have the defendants all had due process?
Not suggesting that those involved shouldn’t be punished but a week later is pretty
quick. It doesn’t leave much time for gleaning useful information from them either.
A crime against humanity.
These 500 hundred weren’t involved, they’ve been in jail for years for other crimes
Boganity, they’ve been in prison for other terror-related crimes or for being members of militant organisations like the Taliban.
They said the 500 to be executed have exhausted all their appeals so sounds fair enough.
Yes, but they did not commit the crime they’re about to be executed for
By the way, look at my comment, it says ‘those responsible’. The question of how to prove who are responsible is another story altogether and yes it involves due process, access to a lawyer etc.
When I posted my comment, the article was about that one school massacre, not about those 500. Obviously they are not responsible for the recent attack.
fack them let them have it .
They’re being executed for the crimes they committed. This particular attack happens to be what drove the government to lift the moratorium on the death penalty for terrorist offences and those 500 were convicted of terrorism related offences. Personally I’m against the death penalty but I’m not gonna feel too bad for these guys.
Boganity, they committed other crimes for which the death penalty was warranted, in that country, with their law. I disagree with the death penalty, and with many of that country’s laws, but they are not going to be executed for that attack.
Yeh sure…and you still believe in Santa
I actually side with Boganity on this one, this is nothing more than a large scale witch hunt.
Scape goating of epic proportion because it would look good on a main stream media news spread.
I know it’s rare Frank but I’ve agreed with yourself on rare occasions:
“There are no certain answers and no time to understand
The rules are set to paradox, coercion and blind faith
The goal’s a changing paradise, a moment out of date
The dream is righteous grandeur fit to flood the universe
Fact is more than meets the eye but less than runs the earth”
Jason Culligan, Are these terrorists any different to the moderate head hacking terrorists that the West continuously entertains in Syria?
There seems to be a little bit of double standards here, Wasn’t it US backed moderate Syrian rebels that blasted that primary school apart in Homs on October 1st killing 42 Children?
Why isn’t the good old west rounding up these terrorists for execution? No because it suits them.
Frank, you’ve yet to prove that the extremists in Syria were being supplied by the West. It is well known that groups like ISIS are being assisted by Saudi Arabia and, to a lesser extent, Turkey but you have never proven that the US or Europe is actively supporting them. It’s a bit ridiculous to supply people you’re bombing, wouldn’t you agree?
Secondly, you’re lopping Pakistan into your definition of the West which is laughable at best. Pakistan is incredibly hostile to the US government. I don’t think anyone in the West would actively support the mass execution of 500 people.
The US sold 60 billion worth of arms to Saudi Arabia in 2010.
If Saudi Arabia are supporting ISIS the US is supporting Saudi Arabia. How does that work? The US sells weapons Saudi and Saudi arms ISIS. The logic is flawed.
Jason Culligan; There is plenty of evidence to prove that the West entertains head hacking militants in Syria. Apart from Senator McCain’s famous photo shoot with leading ISIS officers is’s all over the MSM FFS.
Secondly I would not be at all surprised if the West was involved in this latest school atrocity in Pakistan, anything to drum up a PROBLEM – REACTION – SOLUTION to ratchet up the Global police state.
“Ordo Ab Chao”, certainly comes to mind, a Latin phrase meaning ‘Order Out Of Chaos’ a motto of the 33rd degree of Freemasonry
The puppet masters create “dis order” so the people will demand “order” The price of “order” always entails a handing over of control and loss of freedom on the part of the citizenry. Out of “chaos” comes “order” – THEIR order – their Fascist new WORLD order.
Figures from Wikipedia do specify 132 Schoolchildren 132 = 33+33+33+33
Is 33 a number of particular significance ? Are you implying that the terrorists massacred only 132 people because some mystic number crap meant they weren’t allowed kill more ?
Rian Lynch. The number 132 or 33 seems to stick out like dogs balls in quite a number of these high profile mainstream media spectaculars.
Only a week ago “MAN HARON MONIS” in English Gematria = 924 = 7 x 132 (33+33+33+33)
http://www.gematrix.org/?word=Man+Haron+Monis
The Date distance between MH370 and MH17 was 132 days (33+33+33+33)
How does the death penalty deter suicide bombers exactly???
My understanding, and i could be totally wrong, was that they needed to die during their war or their attack in order for them to sit with allah and the 40 virgins…. Nonsense!
They need to die in part of there glorious attack some bull like that
It will deter the people that facilitate them and fund them. Also, not all terrorist attacks are suicide attacks.
What’s the point of having 40 virgins waiting for you, if your meat and 2 veg was blown to Kingdom come in the blast….
It doesn’t state if the virgins are male or female. Sickened!!!
Not sure it does. They should be condemned to eat pork every day. I’d line their cells with pork stuff.
This type of hawkish response never works, that’s why Israel has been at war for 68 years to date.
72 Virgins actually. The Muslim women who die get just one man and “they should be happy with that” says the Koran. Mormon do well, they get a planet to populate and rule over if they are high up Morons, sorry Mormons. Small point, Judaism, Christianity and Islam are all based on the Old Testament or to put it another way the Jewish Torah. Those “modern” religions are virtually the same religion, same god. Half the world’s people believe in this shitz.
Rupert Murdoch has a lot to answer for with that one, least of all how a complete myth can prove that even after a third level education a person can still be an ignorant fool unable to think for themselves…an opinion devoid of facts in just an opinion, it’s never an argument, and it’s never a fact…in spite of, and because of, what Rupert’s legion of angry old white males tell us in the longest suicide note in history, AKA know as the death of the print media.
Does anyone else think that mass executions would probably stir things up a bit more ?
That’s exactly what they want.
Blanket counter-insurgency operation is what is required here. Flood Waziristan with thousands of army units so that there is no room for Taliban to operate. Close and man the border with Afghanistan. Co-operate with the Afghan authorities on counter-terrorism. Abolish the ISI. Stop focusing on India and Kaismir as the country’s biggest threat. That is what is required. That will never happen in Pakistan. People will continue to be killed in their droves…
Ending alliance with Afghan taliban would help as well.
Make sure it’s the right 500
The one cure for Religion is Education, the fanatics know this and this is why they are now attacking schools.
Pakistanis marching holding up banners saying no more terror because this terrorist attack was too close to the bone but if this type of terrorist attack had happened in say America they would be out in their droves on the street celebrating, chanting while burning American flags and maybe slaughter a few Christians for good measure.
And around in circles we go!
I’d say that’ll mean no further such incidents..Oh wait, that kind of evidently DOESN’T work as a deterrent
It’s more of a public order exercise rather than a deterrent. The Pakistani government is doing this to make it look like they’re tackling extreme militants without investing the thousands of troops required to actually stamp out the organisations themselves.
This is revenge killing plain and simple. An emotional response. Not surprising in a country suffering from war like Pakistan, but its still wrong. Its a bloodthirsty act that wont make anybody feel better.
Of course it will make hundreds of millions feel much better. Carry the terror to your enemy. Fight fire with fire, an eye for an eye. Ramen.
This in the week when a 14 year old alleged killer who died in the electric chair was finally pardoned in the USA 70 years too late
I read a small bit on that. The trial in 1944 was very quick but I don’t think he was found not guilty now because they knew he didn’t do it. According to the cops who arrested him he talked about the murder and admittedd clearly he did it, as they said “There was no doubt he did it.” He was the last person who saw the two murdered children. The cops said he led them to the murder weapon. in 1944, 14 was the age when you could be tried as an adult.
Answering barbarism with barbarism and turning extremists into martyrs. Sounds like a great idea and not at all counterproductive.
I’m not sure if posters here are aware that some of those awaiting execution are women found guilty of adultery under the Sharia laws that the state enforces alongside the civil code.
This tit for tat execution policy happened here during the civil war and brought nothing but bitterness and the greatest cruelty. Not all 500 of those Taliban were involved nor could all of them be guilty of heinous crime. Mass execution will simply strengthen the resolve of their associates and bitterness will drive others to join them.
They want to die anyway
Then give them a painful life!
… you mean at the mother in law’s?
Permitting the death penalty for the sole purpose revenge is backwards, reactionary and savage.
I oppose the death penalty but in a civil war there is always a cycle of atrocity followed by atrocious response. If, in the end, the Pakistani State gets over it’s love affair with these terrorists, if this time it is on for real ( as opposed to the nod & wink towards the Mumbai murderers) then expect much, much more of this kind of response. To really be a member of the normal nations of the world this nuclear power must extend its authority over its whole territory. The Pashtun must be tamed at whatever cost or, ultimately, Pakistan needs to be held responsible.
As we in Ireland rightfully condemn the massacre of children in Pakistan, just consider that in 1976 in our own country the Glenanne gang, made up of members of the Northern Ireland security forces,(managed by British intelligence, Robert Nairac, etc. who had recently bombed Dublin and Monaghan and murdered many northern nationalists) planned to attack Catholic schools in South Armagh and Newry and shoot all the teachers and pupils. The prime mover was a full-time member of the UDR and his colleagues later admitted that they were being “actively encouraged” by British Intelligence, who apparently wanted to spark a civil war where they could justify taking a more aggressive line against republicans. For those who doubt, check out “Lethal Allies: British collusion in Ireland” by Anne Cadwallader. Its all there, names and all, and also how little the Fine Gael-Labour coalition of that time did to defend Irish people.
Their country their laws,we need to stop interfering.
Comma missing on those protester placards.
No, more terrorism now. Pakistan needs to be hit with one of those end game asteroids really. Or else give them the 2028 world cup
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