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ECOWAS Raises Concern Over Insecurity in West Africa Amidst Military Coups in Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger
By Milcah Tanimu
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has expressed deep concern over the escalating insecurity in the region, attributing it to recent military coups in Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger. During the 51st Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Mediation and Security Council, ECOWAS Commission President Omar Touray highlighted the impact of these coups on the overall security environment.
Coup attempts occurred in Burkina Faso on January 23, 2022, in Mali on May 24, 2021, and in Niger on July 26, 2023. According to Touray, the security situation in the region has become increasingly challenging, with transition processes facing disruptions due to political upheavals.
Touray emphasized that these military coups, often fueled by false narratives, are significant drivers of insecurity. From January 1 to October 23, 2023, he presented alarming statistics, revealing that 4.8 million people in Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger are grappling with food insecurity. Additionally, 2.4 million people are internally displaced, and nearly 9,000 schools remain closed.
Burkina Faso bears the highest burden, with close to 2.2 million people facing food insecurity and 2 million internally displaced. Mali and Niger also face substantial challenges. The humanitarian crisis includes complex issues such as forced migration, poor nutrition, and educational disruptions.
Touray acknowledged the urgency of the situation and pledged ECOWAS’s commitment to facilitating a swift return to constitutional order in the affected member states. As part of the humanitarian response, the ECOWAS Commission plans to deploy funds from the Counterterrorism Fund to address immediate needs, including basic education for conflict-affected children, livelihood support, and resilience building.
December 6, 2023
Army Captain Announces Overthrow of Military Govt In Burkina Faso
A Burkina Faso army captain on Friday September 30, announced the ouster of military leader Paul-Henri Damiba and the suspension of the country’s constitution and transitional charter in a statement read on national television.
Army Captain Ibrahim Traoré said a group of officers had decided to remove Damiba due to his inability to deal with a worsening Islamist insurgency.
He announced that Burkina Faso’s borders were closed indefinitely and that all political and civil society activities were suspended.
Around 15 soldiers in fatigues appeared on the Radio-Television broadcaster shortly before 8pm local time and read out the statement.
“We have decided to take our responsibilities, driven by a single ideal – the restoration of security and integrity of our territory,” they said.
Reporting from the capital Ouagadougou shortly after the takeover announcement, FRANCE 24’s Sophie Lamotte said a curfew has been imposed from 9pm to 5am local time.
“The streets are very calm and there’s a very strong military presence in the capital, especially surrounding the presidential palace and the telecommunication headquarters,” she said.
Earlier on Friday, gunfire rang out in Ouagadougou and the state broadcaster went off air amid fears of a coup. Soldiers were seen at the city’s main crossroads, especially in the Ouaga 2000 neighbourhood, but also outside the state television centre.
October 1, 2022
AFCON: Cameroon come back from 3-0 to beat Burkina Faso, win bronze
The Indomitable Lions of Cameroon pulled off one of the greatest comebacks in the Africa Cup of Nations to save themselves from what would have been an embarrasing end to their campaign, coming from three goals down to draw level and winning 5-3 on penalties against Burkina Faso in the third place play-off on Saturday.
Ambroise Oyongo scored the decisive penalty in Yaounde as the Indomitable Lions atoned for missing three kicks when losing a semi-final shootout against Egypt 48 hours ago.
Goals by Steeve Yago and Djibril Ouattara either side of an Andre Onana own goal gave the Burkinabe a 3-0 lead with 20 minutes remaining.
Stephane Bahoken reduced arrears and then substitute Vincent Aboubakar netted on 85 and 87 minutes to force a shootout.
The Cup of Nations final between Senegal and Egypt, with Liverpool stars Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah on opposite sides, will be staged on Sunday in Yaounde (1900 GMT).
Cameroon coach Toni Conceicao made nine changes to the team that lost on penalties to Egypt after extra time just two days ago at Stade Olembe, the main Yaounde stadium.
The Portuguese retained only goalkeeper Andre Onana and midfielder Samuel Oum Gouet, who was replaced at half-time by leading tournament scorer Aboubakar.
Burkina Faso boss Kamou Malo altered five of the team that started a 3-1 semi-final loss to Sadio Mane-inspired Senegal 24 hours before Cameroon played.
Two of them were enforced with injured goalkeeper Herve Koffi replaced by Farid Ouedraogo while suspended midfielder Adama Guira gave way to Ismahila Ouedraogo.
The countries had met three times before in the flagship African tournament with Cameroon winning twice, including in the opening match of this Cup of Nations, and drawing the other.
It was the third bronze medals play-off for both teams with each winning and losing once in a fixture that Africa has retained while Europe has ditched.
February 6, 2022
No Excuse Whatsoever For Burkina Faso Coup – Osinbajo
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has condemned the military coup in Burkina Faso, saying there is no excuse to justify what happened in the West African country.
He stated this on Thursday after attending the ECOWAS Extraordinary Summit on the political situations in Burkina Faso, Mali and Guinea in Accra, the capital of Ghana.
The Vice President, who represented President Muhammadu Buhari at the Summit, said talks were ongoing with the military junta to return to civil rule.
“So, what happened in Burkina Faso was considered and has been condemned by all of the heads of state and we do not think there is any excuse for it whatsoever,” the Vice President told reporters in Abuja.
“I think it has been fruitful, the Heads of State again reiterated the firm position that had been taken earlier that there is absolutely no excuse for a change of government by coup d’etat.
“But at the moment, of course, engagement is going on with the military junta and also we condemned the attempted coup in Guinea-Bissau and congratulated President Embalo and the people of Guinea-Bissau for resisting that unconstitutional attempt to change the government.
“All in all it has been fruitful and we are very hopeful that lessons had been learnt and we will not see a repeat of this.”
Emergency talks in the Ghanaian capital Accra were triggered after Burkina Faso on January 24 became the third member of the 15-nation Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to be overtaken by the military.
Burkina followed Mali, where a coup in September 2020 was followed by a second in May 2021, and Guinea, where elected president Alpha Conde was ousted last September.
Adding to the region’s turmoil was a gun attack on Tuesday on the president of Guinea-Bissau, Umaro Sissoco Embalo, stoking fears that years of efforts to steer West Africa towards stability and democracy are failing.
Already, the African Union said Monday it had suspended Burkina Faso in response to the January 24 coup that ousted President Roch Marc Christian Kabore.
The bloc’s 15-member Peace and Security Council said on Twitter it had voted “to suspend the participation of #BurkinaFaso in all AU activities until the effective restoration of constitutional order in the country”.
Moussa Faki Mahamat, chair of the African Union Commission, had already condemned the coup the day it happened and before it was clear who was taking charge.
The West African bloc ECOWAS suspended Burkina Faso on Friday and sent a delegation to meet with the ruling junta Saturday.
February 3, 2022
Burkina Faso restores constitution, names coup leader president
Burkina Faso’s military government said it has restored the constitution a week after taking power and has appointed the coup’s leader as head of state for a transitional period.
The move came shortly after the African Union (AU) suspended Burkina Faso for the takeover and diplomats from West Africa and the United Nations pressed demands for a return to civilian rule.
In a statement read on television on Monday, the military government announced it had approved a “fundamental act” that “lifts the suspension of the constitution”, a move that had been declared after the January 24 coup.
The 37-article document guarantees independence of the judiciary and presumption of innocence, as well as basic liberties spelled out in the constitution such as freedom of movement and freedom of speech, according to the statement.
Under the “fundamental act”, it said, the military government – officially named the Patriotic Movement for Preservation and Restoration (MPSR) – “ensures the continuity of the state pending the establishment of transitional bodies”.
The statement did not give a timeline for the transition period.
It formally identified coup leader Lieutenant-Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba as president of the MPSR.
This role also encompasses “president of Burkina Faso, head of state (and) supreme leader of the armed forces”, the statement said.
The MPSR has two vice presidents, the statement added, but it did not mention any names.
A separate decree read on television said that the armed forces chief of staff, Gilbert Ouedraogo, was leaving the job.
ECOWAS says Kabore is ‘well’
Just hours earlier, the AU’s 15-member Peace and Security Council said on Twitter that it had voted “to suspend the participation of #BurkinaFaso in all AU activities until the effective restoration of constitutional order in the country”.
On Friday, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) also suspended Burkina Faso from its ranks and warned of possible sanctions pending the outcome of meetings with the military government.
An ECOWAS mission headed by Ghanaian Foreign Minister Shirley Ayorkor Botchway arrived in Ouagadougou, where it was joined by the UN’s special representative for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS), Annadif Khatir Mahamat Saleh.
After meeting members of the military government, some of the delegation visited ousted President Roch Marc Christian Kabore, who is under house arrest, a delegate said.
Botchway, the head of the ECOWAS delegation, said she had met with Kabore and that he was well and “in good spirits”, Reuters news agency reported.
His wellbeing and demands for his release have been major issues since the coup.
ECOWAS sent military chiefs to confer with Damiba on Saturday.
Leaders from the bloc will hold a summit in Accra on Thursday to assess its two missions to see whether they should impose sanctions.
They have previously suspended and enforced sanctions against two other members – Mali and Guinea – which have also seen military overthrows in the past 18 months.
On January 24, mutineering soldiers detained Kabore amid rising public anger at his failure to stem violence by armed groups ravaging the impoverished nation.
They later released a handwritten letter in which he announced his resignation – a document that a member of his party said was authentic.
The coup is the latest bout of turmoil to strike Burkina Faso, a landlocked state that has suffered chronic instability since gaining independence from France in 1960.
February 1, 2022
10-man Burkina Faso knock Tunisia out of AFCON
Dango Ouattara scored on the stroke of half-time as 10-man Burkina Faso completed a hat-trick of Africa Cup of Nations quarter-final victories over Tunisia with a 1-0 win in Garoua on Saturday.
Hero Ouattara turned villain eight minutes from time when a yellow card for elbowing Ali Maaloul was changed to a red after the Botswana referee checked the touchline VAR monitor.
Burkina Faso held on to repeat 1998 and 2017 last-eight triumphs over Tunisia and advance to a semi-finals showdown with Senegal or Equatorial Guinea in Yaounde on Wednesday.
Success for the Stallions came five days after the landlocked west African country was plunged into political uncertainty when President Roch Marc Christian Kabore was ousted in a military coup.
“I’m very emotional. Allow me to dedicate this win to our people who are being tested by current events,” said Burkina Faso coach Kamou Malo.
“The Burkinabe people will always stand up, just like the team. We put in the time today and we want to go all the way in this competition.”
Earlier, hosts Cameroon beat giant-killers Gambia 2-0 in Douala and await the winners between Egypt and Morocco on Sunday in the other semi-final.
Burkina Faso started with captain and Aston Villa forward Bertrand Traore among 12 substitutes while an injury ruled out vice-captain and central defender Issoufou Dayo.
In the absence of the first and second-choice skippers, long-serving Belgium-based goalkeeper Herve Koffi led a country that came closest to glory in 2013 when finishing runners-up to Nigeria.
After being hard hit recently by a coronavirus outbreak, Tunisia were back to near full strength with regular captain Wahbi Khazri among those returning to the starting line-up.
Despite the presence of former Premier League forward Khazri, the Carthage Eagles were captained by veteran forward Youssef Msakni, who is appearing at a Cup of Nations tournament for the seventh time.
The Burkinabe Stallions kicked off boosted by the knowledge that they won all three previous Cup of Nations quarter-finals, including two against Tunisia.
Tunisia had been much less successful at the same stage of the flagship African tournament, winning just four of 10 last-eight matches.
After Tunisia dominated the early exchanges, Burkina Faso gradually matched them at the Stade Roumde Adjia in the northwestern city.
Cyrille Bayala came close midway through the opening half when he found himself one-on-one with goalkeeper Bechir Ben Said, who stuck out his left leg to foil the Burkinabe.
Khazri then stung the fingers of Koffi with a free-kick from well outside the box which the goalkeeper pushed over the crossbar to concede a corner.
Burkina Faso were looking the more menacing side and Djibril Ouattara should have done better as half-time approached with a close-range shot, which was aimed directly at Ben Said.
The deadlock was broken three minutes into first-half added time with Dango Ouattara putting the Stallions ahead.
A pass from the centre circle found the midfielder from French Ligue 1 club Lorient on the right flank and he proved too quick for Oussama Haddadi before checking his run and firing into the net.
Tunisia coach Mondher Kebaier reacted to falling behind by taking off Haddadi at half-time and bringing on Ali Maaloul, who plays his club football with African giants Al Ahly of Egypt.
Saudi Arabia-based Naim Sliti was also introduced for the second half in place of Anis Ben Slimane on the right side of midfield.
As Tunisia pushed forward in pursuit of an equaliser they were exposed at the back early in the second half, but unmarked Blati Toure fired straight at Ben Said.
Maaloul is not only among the most polished left-backs in Africa, but also a set-piece expert and Koffi did well to push away a low free-kick from the Tunisian at the expense of a corner.
AFP
January 30, 2022
Burkina Faso: ECOWAS To Engage With Coup Leaders On Way Forward
The Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, Authority of Heads of State and Government, on Friday resolved to engage with the leaders of the junta that recently seized authority in Burkina Faso.
Consequently, the ECOWAS body has agreed to send high-powered military and diplomatic emissaries to Ouagadougou, the capital of the country, on Saturday for situation assessments of developments in the country.
Speaking to journalists after an emergency virtual meeting of ECOWAS apex decision-making body, the Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Geoffrey Onyema, said President Muhammadu Buhari, is in support of the decisions taken.
According to the Minister, Nigeria is fully in support of the ECOWAS demand for an immediate return to constitutional rule, release of the incarcerated President Roch Marc Kabore and total cooperation with the regional body in the process of sorting out the current situation.
He said “the position is, of course, we condemn the coup and asking for immediate return to constitutional order, the release of the President and anybody else who’s being detained and to cooperate with ECOWAS and to be part of ECOWAS decisions”.
Asked what President Buhari told the ECOWAS meeting, Onyema said “he said he was in support of the decisions that were taken at this summit. They condemned the coup. They demanded immediate release of the President, who is being detained, and an immediate process of return to constitutional order.
“A decision that the Chiefs of Defense Staff of ECOWAS Member States should head tomorrow to Burkina Faso to assess the situation from a strategic also military angle, and to be followed immediately by a visit of a team of Ministers of Foreign Affairs of ECOWAS countries, again, to assess the situation and then report to a meeting of the Heads of States, and then a definitive decision will be taken as to how to proceed. ECOWAS is going to have to engage with the junta. Well, you have to”, he said.
Asked what might happen if the demands are not met, the Minister said “that’ll now be for the summit meeting, that’s what I was saying, to now take a definitive decision because they would have had the benefit of the input of the Chiefs of Defense Staff, the benefit of the input of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs, who would have gone there, and then they will be in a position to now take an informed and definitive decision”, he said.
January 29, 2022
BREAKING: ECOWAS Suspends Burkina Faso Over Coup
The West African bloc ECOWAS on Friday suspended Burkina Faso following a coup, but will not impose other sanctions for the time being, a participant at a virtual summit said.
ECOWAS is also calling for the new junta to release ousted president Roch Marc Christian Kabore and other officials detained during Monday’s coup, the source said.
The bloc will hold another summit in Accra on February 3, it added.
The summit, which lasted around three hours, also decided to send a mission of ECOWAS chiefs of staff to Ouagadougou, the Burkinabe capital, on Saturday.
This will be followed on Monday by ministerial-level envoys from the bloc, the source said.
Kabore, 64, was elected in 2015 following a popular revolt that forced out strongman Blaise Compaore.
He was re-elected in 2020, but the following year faced a wave of anger over the mounting toll from a jihadist insurgency that swept in from neighbouring Mali.
On Sunday, mutinies broke out in several barracks and the following day, Kabore was arrested and taken away by troops.
The impoverished Sahel state is being run by a junta led by Lieutenant-Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba, who commands military units in the country’s jihadist-torn east.
On the eve of the summit, Damiba made a televised appeal for “the international community to support our country so it can exit this crisis as soon as possible.”
He promised Burkina would “return to a normal constitutional life… when the conditions are right.”
Burkina Faso joins two other ECOWAS countries — Mali and Guinea — where there have been coups in the past 18 months.
Those two countries have been suspended by the regional bloc, which has also imposed an array of sanctions on them, including measures against individuals.
January 28, 2022
Burkina Faso President Kabore Arrested By Mutinous Military
Mutinous troops in restive Burkina Faso arrested President Roch Marc Christian Kabore on Monday and detained him in army barracks a day after staging an uprising, security sources told AFP.
Soldiers at several army bases across the West African country rebelled on Sunday, demanding the sacking of the military top brass and more resources to fight a bloody jihadist insurgency.
Later in the day gunshots were heard near Kabore’s private residence in the capital Ouagadougou, and witnesses reported seeing a helicopter above it.
“President Kabore, the head of parliament and the ministers are effectively in the hands of the soldiers” at the Sangoule Lamizana barracks in the capital Ouagadougou, a security source said, with another source confirming the arrest.
The situation was tense and confused in the capital, where mobile internet had been cut on Sunday, making it difficult to verify rumours of a coup in progress.
An AFP journalist said around 10 hooded troops had posted themselves in front of the national broadcaster RTB on Monday, but it was not immediately clear if they were from the mutineers or had been sent in by the government.
Kabore, first elected in 2015 before winning re-election five years later on campaign vows he would prioritise the fight against the jihadist insurgency, has faced rising public anger about the failure to stop the bloodshed.
A group of protesters supporting the soldiers set up makeshift roadblocks on several main streets in the capital before being dispersed by police, AFP journalists said.
There have been several coups or attempted coups in Burkina Faso. In neighbouring Mali — where the insurgency began before crossing the border — the military toppled the civilian government in 2020.
– Soldier demands –
The latest volatility in Burkina Faso began on Sunday morning when gunfire was heard at numerous military bases, including two in Ouagadougou.
The rebellious troops presented a list of demands, which emphasised the need for a better anti-jihadist strategy, but did not mention trying to oust Kabore.
“We want adequate resources for the battle” against Islamist extremists, a soldier from the Sangoule Lamizana base in Ouagadougou said in a voice recording received by AFP.
The disaffected soldiers also wanted top generals to be “replaced”, better care for wounded troops and more support for the families of soldiers killed in battle, the spokesman for the mutinous troops added in the anonymous recording.
Talks between representatives of the soldiers and Defence Minister General Barthelemy Simpore failed to make headway, a government source said.
On Saturday before signs of soldier mutinies, police used tear to disperse banned protests against the government’s anti-jihadist strategies, arresting dozens.
Then on Sunday, demonstrators set fire to the headquarters of the ruling party.
– Government denials –
Before reports of the president’s arrest, the government had denied an “army takeover”.
In response to the unrest, authorities declared an overnight curfew from 8:00 pm (2000 GMT) Sunday “until further notice” and the education ministry said schools would be closed Monday and Tuesday.
The Sangoule Lamizana camp where Kabore is being held also houses a military prison where General Gilbert Diendere — a former right-hand man to deposed president Blaise Compaore — is serving a 20-year term for an attempted coup in 2015.
Diendere is also on trial for his alleged part in the 1987 assassination of the country’s revolutionary leader, Thomas Sankara, during a putsch that brought Compaore to power.
Compaore, overthrown by a popular uprising in 2014, fled to Ivory Coast, and is being tried in absentia for the assassination.
The latest turbulence coincides with a jihadist insurgency that swept in from Mali in 2015, overwhelming Burkina’s poorly trained and badly equipped armed forces.
Around 2,000 people have died, according to an AFP tally, while around 1.5 million people are internally displaced, according to the national emergency agency CONASUR.
January 24, 2022
Forty-Seven Killed In Burkina Faso Jihadist Attack
Burkina Faso’s president declared three days of national mourning from Thursday after suspected jihadists killed 47 people, including 30 civilians, in an attack in the north of the country.
The attack was the latest bloodshed in an area plagued by Islamist violence.
The assault Wednesday near the town of Gorgadji also left 14 soldiers and three militia volunteers dead, the communications ministry said.
The soldiers and militia had been “guarding civilians setting off for Arbinda,” another town in northern Burkina.
In an ensuing gunbattle, security forces killed 58 “terrorists” and put the rest to flight, according to the government. Nineteen people were also wounded, it said.
“Rescue and relief operations are continuing,” it said.
The area is in the notorious “three-border” zone where Burkina Faso meets Mali and Niger, a focus of the jihadist violence that plagues the wider Sahel region of west Africa.
It was the third major attack on Burkinabe soldiers in the past two weeks, including one on August 4 near the Niger border which killed 30 people, including 11 civilians.
President Roch Marc Christian Kabore declared three days of national mourning from Thursday for the victims of the latest attack, according to an official decree.
Flags would be flown at half-mast from public buildings and festivities banned during the period, it said.
Burkina Faso, a poor country in the arid sub-Saharan Sahel region, has since 2015 been battling increasingly frequent and deadly attacks by jihadist groups affiliated with the Islamic State group and Al-Qaeda.
On June 4-5, gunmen killed at least 132 people, including children, in the northeast village of Solhan, Burkina’s deadliest attack in the history of the insurgency.
Raids and ambushes have been concentrated in the north and east close to the borders with Mali and Niger, both of which have also faced deadly violence by jihadists.
These attacks along with inter-communal violence have left more than 1,400 people dead and forced 1.3 million to flee their homes, according to official estimates.
Along with central Mali, the vast, arid “three-border” region straddling Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso has become the worst-hit area in the jihadists’ Sahel campaign.
Militants linked to Al-Qaeda emerged in northern Mali in 2012, prompting French military intervention. After being scattered, the jihadists regrouped and spread to neighbouring countries.
August 19, 2021