Burkina Faso Coup D’etat: Soldiers Detain President Roch Marc Kaboré  

Burkina Faso Coup–According to a Western official and an army officer in the country, mutinous soldiers have detained the President after gunfire erupted at military bases across the West African nation in an apparent coup d’etat, making him the third head of state overthrown in this region in the last eight months.

Authorities initially denied that President Roch Marc Kaboré had been detained by the military, claiming that all was calm despite soldiers fighting for control of several barracks.

The mutineers arrived at the presidential palace late Sunday, according to Reuters, and Kaboré was physically removed from office less than 24 hours after the uprising began, according to the Western official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the situation.

On Monday, a Burkinabe counterterrorism officer confirmed Kaboré’s detention, saying the president is “in good hands.”

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The officer, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to speak to the media, stated that soldiers were fed up with what they perceived as a lack of support from the top.

Since Kaboré took over, the violence has steadily worsened.

“We need a strong man with clear ideas,” he said.

Hundreds of protesters marched through the streets of the capital, Ouagadougou, demanding the resignation of Kaboré, who took office in 2015.

During his presidency, militants linked to the Islamic State and al-Qaeda have upended life in the country of 21 million people, rendering much of the countryside ungoverned and forcing at least 1.4 million people to flee their homes.

More than 2,000 Burkinabes have died as a result of the violence.

“The whole territory must be secured,” the Burkinabe officer said. “All the displaced people must be able to return home.”

Burkina Faso’s insecurity stems from insurgencies that took root in the region a decade ago.

After the Libyan government collapsed in 2011, sending mercenaries who worked for Moammar Gaddafi back to their native Mali, some ethnic Tuareg rebels formed a shaky alliance with Islamist militants seeking a foothold in the country’s north.

Despite initial defeat by French and regional forces, the militants dispersed and drilled into Burkina Faso, sparking a conflict that has turned much of the country known for sprawling croplands and a celebrated African film festival into a battlefield.

Park rangers in Burkina Faso have recently described losing protected land for elephants and lions to extremists who use forest cover for hideouts.

Meanwhile, refugees from Mali who sought refuge in Burkina Faso say they have had to pack up and flee several times as the threat has gotten closer to Ouagadougou.

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Meanwhile, refugees from Mali who sought refuge in Burkina Faso say they have had to pack up and flee several times as the threat has gotten closer to Ouagadougou.

About 100 military personnel have been planning the takeover since August, according to one of the soldiers. The organizers never met in the same location more than twice and always outside the capital, he said. They used messaging apps such as Signal, WhatsApp, and Telegraph to plan, he added.

“The situation is very volatile and it’s very unclear what’s going on,” Eloise Bertrand, from the University of Portsmouth, told Al Jazeera.

Burkina Faso’s power grab comes after special forces deposed Guinea’s president in September and military officers deposed Mali’s president in May for the second time since August 2020.

“The longer the conflict continues, the more fragile states become,” said Serigne Bamba Gaye, a security analyst in Senegal, which has reported extremist activity near its border with Mali. “From setback to setback, morale is at an all-time low.”

Authorities imposed a curfew and ordered that schools be closed. Phone lines and Internet access went down, leaving millions without communication.

Kaboré drew criticism hours before his arrest after tweeting about soccer.

“I express to you the pride of the entire nation,” he wrote to the Burkina Faso team, which defeated Gabon in the Africa Cup of Nations on Sunday, advancing to the quarterfinals of the continent’s largest soccer tournament. “We’re all rooting for you.”

On Monday morning, motorcyclists rolled through Ouagadougou, honking their horns and singing the national anthem.

If the mutineers succeeded in deposing Kaboré, it will be the eighth successful coup d’etat in Burkina Faso since the country declared independence from France in 1960, the most of any African country.

The Economic Community of the West African States, a 15-nation regional bloc known as ECOWAS, condemned the “heinous act.”

ECOWAS imposed its harshest sanctions yet on Mali this month after the country’s military leaders announced that an election to restore civilian rule would not take place until 2026, citing security concerns.

Except for Guinea, where a transition government led by a special forces officer has yet to set its election date, most West African nations have closed their borders and ceased trade with Mali.