Pro-Russia demonstrators rally in Burkina after coup

Pro-Russia demonstrators rally in Burkina after coup

Demonstrators waved Russian and Burkina flags in a protest against West African bloc ECOWAS
Demonstrators waved Russian and Burkina flags in a protest against West African bloc ECOWAS. Photo: Issouf SANOGO / AFP
Source: AFP

PAY ATTENTION: Сheck out news that is picked exactly for YOU ➡️ find “Recommended for you” block on the home page and enjoy!

Several dozen protestors waving Russian flags rallied in Burkina Faso's capital Ouagadougou on Tuesday as West African delegates arrived on a fact-finding mission following the country's second coup in less than nine months.

Demonstrators chanted support for Russia, called on France to leave the country and warned ECOWAS -- the Economic Community of West African States -- against "meddling", an AFP journalist saw.

The impoverished Sahel state was plunged into turmoil at the weekend when Lieutenant-Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba, who had seized power only in January, was toppled by a newly emerged rival, 34-year-old Captain Ibrahim Traore.

The dramatic takeover coincided with violent anti-French protests and the emergence of Russian flags among demonstrators, stoking speculation that Traore may follow other regimes in French-speaking Africa and forge close ties with Moscow at France's expense.

Read also

Yemen's fate hangs in balance as truce collapses

The ECOWAS delegation, whose visit was initially scheduled for Monday, arrived on Tuesday morning and was to head to the president's office to meet Traore, officials told AFP.

The bloc, designed to promote democracy in one of the world's most volatile regions, has witnessed five coups among three of its 15 members in little more than two years.

PAY ATTENTION: Follow us on Instagram - get the most important news directly in your favourite app!

Its approach has been to urge junta leaders to set a relatively short timetable for restoring civilian rule -- and to impose sanctions against those deemed to be ignoring the demand or sidestepping their pledges.

But it has also taken flak, with some critics accusing it of supporting Western, or specifically French, interests.

Traore said in a statement the ECOWAS visit was to "make contact with the new transition authorities" as part of the support that ECOWAS provided to Burkina.

Read also

W. African bloc flies envoys to Burkina Faso after latest coup

He said he had learned "with astonishment and regret" that messages had circulated on social media "calling for this mission to be hampered" and urged calm and restraint.

"Any person who commits acts aimed at disturbing the smooth course of the ECOWAS mission will face the force of the law," Traore said.

The ECOWAS visit to Ouagadougou is headed by Guinea-Bissau Foreign Minister Suzi Carla Barbosa, whose country currently chairs the bloc, and includes former Niger president Mahamadou Issoufou, who is the mediator for Burkina Faso.

Landlocked and deeply poor, Burkina Faso has experienced little political stability since gaining independence from France in 1960.

The latest turmoil takes place against the backdrop of a bloody jihadist insurgency that swept in from neighbouring Mali in 2015.

Thousands of civilians, troops and police officers have been killed and nearly two million people have fled their homes.

New feature: Сheck out news that is picked for YOU ➡️ find “Recommended for you” block on the home page and enjoy!

Source: AFP

Authors:
AFP avatar

AFP AFP text, photo, graphic, audio or video material shall not be published, broadcast, rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed directly or indirectly in any medium. AFP news material may not be stored in whole or in part in a computer or otherwise except for personal and non-commercial use. AFP will not be held liable for any delays, inaccuracies, errors or omissions in any AFP news material or in transmission or delivery of all or any part thereof or for any damages whatsoever. As a newswire service, AFP does not obtain releases from subjects, individuals, groups or entities contained in its photographs, videos, graphics or quoted in its texts. Further, no clearance is obtained from the owners of any trademarks or copyrighted materials whose marks and materials are included in AFP material. Therefore you will be solely responsible for obtaining any and all necessary releases from whatever individuals and/or entities necessary for any uses of AFP material.