Burkina Faso's New Leader Lays Blame on Ousted President's Failure To Contain Violence, Promises Order

(Photo : Photo by OLYMPIA DE MAISMONT / AFP) (Photo by OLYMPIA DE MAISMONT/AFP via Getty Images)
TOPSHOT - Commuters ride their motorcycles through burning barricades in the central avenues in Ouagadougou where group of young demonstrators supporting the role of the army protested against President Marc Christian Kabore on January 23, 2022. - Soldiers mutinied on Sunday in several barracks in Burkina Faso to demand the departure of army chiefs and "more suitable means" to fight against the jihadists who have struck this country since 2015.

Burkina Faso's new leader lays the blame for the country's recent violence and troubles to the ousted president's failure to contain the issues while he was in control and now promises a return to the normal constitutional order "when the conditions are right."

The military leader, Lieutenant Colonel Paul-Henri Damiba was the one who spearheaded the ousting of President Roch Kabore on Monday. The official said the country's president failed to contain violence that was led by Islamist militants.

Burkina Faso's New Leader

Damiba wore a red beret and army fatigues during his first-ever speech on Thursday after ousting President Kabore. He addressed the country's citizens on national television after taking the power of the nation's government.

In his remarks, Damiba said that the country will once again return to normal living when the conditions are right. He added that it was according to the deadline that the people will define all sovereignty.

The 41-year-old military leader said that he was planning to meet with representatives of various sectors of society to discuss a roadmap for reform of the country. The country's military also announced that it seized power on state television on Monday. One officer cited the deteriorating security situation as the reason for the takeover, BBC reported.

Damiba was promoted in December by Kabore as the commander of Burkina Faso's third military region. The move was something that some analysts viewed as an effort by the beleaguered president to shore up support within the army's ranks.

The military leader's promotion to his position followed an attack conducted by fighters on a gendarmerie post in the northern town of Inata that resulted in the death of 49 military officers and four civilians. Reports at the time said that the troops had gone without food rations for two weeks.

The situation sparked anti-government protests and calls for Kabore to step down as Burkina Faso's president. After his promotion, Damiba worked on reorganizing the military ranks by appointing new officers to key roles with the declared intent of battling the uprising, Aljazeera reported.

Return of Order

In his address, Damiba warned that the people who were guided by their selfish interests will receive his uncompromising side. The military leader spoke from the presidential palace and said that Burkina Faso was facing an unprecedented crisis. He noted that the junta's priority was to restore security by renewing the will to fight among its soldiers and listening to the public in forming a path forward.

"In its history, our country has rarely been confronted with adversity. But more than six years now our people have been living under the yoke of an enemy that succeeded. The task before us is immense. Fortunately, it is not only mine, it is all of ours. It will require great individual and collective efforts and certainly sacrifices on our part," said Damiba, ABC News reported.

The junta has spent the last few days trying to shore up support from religious and community leaders, security forces, and unions since taking over the government. The military met on Thursday with the labor union in the presidential palace and explained its motives for the coup. The secretary-general for the union, Moussa Diallo, said that the junta wanted to correct the previous regime's flaws.