The UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed serious concern about the ongoing developments in Burkina Faso, calling on “all parties concerned in Burkina Faso to refrain from violence and seek dialogue”.
In a statement issued by his spokesman, Guterres “strongly condemned any attempt to seize power by force of arms”.
The UN Secretary-General stated his “complete support for regional efforts to restore constitutional order in the country,” adding that “Burkina Faso requires peace, stability, and unity to combat terrorist groups and criminal networks operating in parts of the country,” reaffirming the United Nations’ commitment to accompany the people of Burkina Faso in their efforts towards achieving lasting peace and stability.
Keeping in mind, that Burkina Faso’s military leader, who was deposed in a coup on Friday, September 30th, has formally agreed to resign, according to religious and community leaders, after reports have announced that Lt Col Damiba was seeking refuge at a French military base.
This is not the first coup to happen. In both cases, the takeovers were blamed on the country’s deteriorating security situation and failure to deal with an Islamist insurgency.
According to experts, Burkina Faso controls as little as 60% of its territory, and Islamist violence is on the rise.
The African Union has demanded that constitutional order has to be restored by July 2023, agreeing with the regional group Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas) that the removal of leader Lt Col Damiba was “unconstitutional,” however Lt Col Damiba has not issued an official statement, and according to AFP news agency, religious and community leaders said he has offered his resignation “in order to avoid confrontations with serious human and material consequences.”
In order to step down, Lt Col Damiba set seven conditions, including a guarantee of his security, an agreement to continue efforts at national reconciliation, and continued adherence to the guarantee of returning to civilian rule within two years.
It has been a long time since Burkinabe people have felt safe. The Islamist insurgency flared up in the country in 2015, and as of June of this year, more than 1.5 million people have been displaced in Burkina Faso as a consequence of the increasing insecurity in the country, let alone, nearly two-quarters of the displaced people are children.
In nutshell, Burkina Faso has had eight coups since its independence in 1960.