Burkina Faso's Former Spy Chief Announces Military Takeover
Mlitary closes borders and announces curfew after takeover declared live on national television
By Colin Freeman
5:48PM BST
17 Sep 2015
The west African nation of Burkina Faso fell victim to a military coup on Thursday, less than a year after a popular revolt that ended the rule of the continent's longest-serving strongmen.
The military takeover was declared live on national television, a day after troops stormed a cabinet meeting and kidnapped the acting president and prime minister of the transitional government.
As soldiers fired on protesters who tried to surround the presidential palace, the country's former spy chief, General Gilbert Diendere, took to the airwaves to tell the nation of 17 million that a new "National Democratic Council" was in power.
Mr Diendere, a towering figure who stands 6ft 6ins tall, was chief of staff to Blaise Compaore, the former president ousted during Burkina Faso's so-called "Black Spring" protests last October. A protege of Libya's Colonel Gaddafi, he had spent 27 years in office, during which he was accused of ruling with an iron fist and stoking civil wars regionwide.
The coup is widely believed to have been sparked by moves to strip Compaore's former loyalists in the old presidential guard of their privileges. Last night Mr Diendre denied it was an attempt to restore the rule of Mr Compaore, 64, who lives in exile in the neighbouring Ivory Coast.
The move has alarmed caused alarm in capitals around the region, who have hoped in recent years to end west Africa’s reputation for coups. Burkina Faso is also an ally of the West in the war on terror, hosting 200 special forces soldiers from France, its former colonial master.
Francois Hollande, the French president, condemned the "coup d'etat" last night but said he "no reason" for the French troops based there to intervene. "I strongly condemn this coup d'etat because an electoral process was under way and the dates had been fixed," he said.
On Wednesday the capital, Ouagadougou, heard sporadic gunfire as soldiers clashed with protesters, with three person killed and scores injured. The Balai Citoyen ("Civic Broom") movement, which was at the forefront of last year's anti-Compaore protests, called supporters onto the streets to "say no to the coup d'Etat under way".
Paul Melly, associate fellow of the Africa Programme at Chatham House, said the immediate trigger for the coup may have been a proposal earlier this week to dissolve the 1,300 strong presidential guard that was loyal to Mr Compaore.
The guard has remained more or less intact despite Mr Compaore’s dismissal, and apparently fears the loss of their privileges. As members of the old regime, they are also banned from participating in the elections that were due to take place in October.
"This shows how difficult it is to move to a lasting and fair democracy after you have had an authoritarian regime that was in power for so many years," said Mr Melly.
He said it was unclear at present whether the presidential guard was acting with Mr Compaore's blessing, or was acting entirely independently. But he warned that anyone who tried to subvert democracy in the country would face strong international and regional pressure.
"Nearly all Burkina Faso's neighbours in West Africa these days are democracies now and are signed up to basic democratic principles," he said. "The region is completely different to how it was in the 1970s or 1980s, when strongmen could more or less do as they liked."
By Colin Freeman
5:48PM BST
17 Sep 2015
The west African nation of Burkina Faso fell victim to a military coup on Thursday, less than a year after a popular revolt that ended the rule of the continent's longest-serving strongmen.
The military takeover was declared live on national television, a day after troops stormed a cabinet meeting and kidnapped the acting president and prime minister of the transitional government.
As soldiers fired on protesters who tried to surround the presidential palace, the country's former spy chief, General Gilbert Diendere, took to the airwaves to tell the nation of 17 million that a new "National Democratic Council" was in power.
Mr Diendere, a towering figure who stands 6ft 6ins tall, was chief of staff to Blaise Compaore, the former president ousted during Burkina Faso's so-called "Black Spring" protests last October. A protege of Libya's Colonel Gaddafi, he had spent 27 years in office, during which he was accused of ruling with an iron fist and stoking civil wars regionwide.
The coup is widely believed to have been sparked by moves to strip Compaore's former loyalists in the old presidential guard of their privileges. Last night Mr Diendre denied it was an attempt to restore the rule of Mr Compaore, 64, who lives in exile in the neighbouring Ivory Coast.
The move has alarmed caused alarm in capitals around the region, who have hoped in recent years to end west Africa’s reputation for coups. Burkina Faso is also an ally of the West in the war on terror, hosting 200 special forces soldiers from France, its former colonial master.
Francois Hollande, the French president, condemned the "coup d'etat" last night but said he "no reason" for the French troops based there to intervene. "I strongly condemn this coup d'etat because an electoral process was under way and the dates had been fixed," he said.
On Wednesday the capital, Ouagadougou, heard sporadic gunfire as soldiers clashed with protesters, with three person killed and scores injured. The Balai Citoyen ("Civic Broom") movement, which was at the forefront of last year's anti-Compaore protests, called supporters onto the streets to "say no to the coup d'Etat under way".
Paul Melly, associate fellow of the Africa Programme at Chatham House, said the immediate trigger for the coup may have been a proposal earlier this week to dissolve the 1,300 strong presidential guard that was loyal to Mr Compaore.
The guard has remained more or less intact despite Mr Compaore’s dismissal, and apparently fears the loss of their privileges. As members of the old regime, they are also banned from participating in the elections that were due to take place in October.
"This shows how difficult it is to move to a lasting and fair democracy after you have had an authoritarian regime that was in power for so many years," said Mr Melly.
He said it was unclear at present whether the presidential guard was acting with Mr Compaore's blessing, or was acting entirely independently. But he warned that anyone who tried to subvert democracy in the country would face strong international and regional pressure.
"Nearly all Burkina Faso's neighbours in West Africa these days are democracies now and are signed up to basic democratic principles," he said. "The region is completely different to how it was in the 1970s or 1980s, when strongmen could more or less do as they liked."
No comments:
Post a Comment