蜜芽传媒

Burkina Faso has had its second military coup of the year. The ousted leader Lt Colonel Damiba is reported to have left the country. Captain Ibrahim Traor茅 has taken over and vowed to intensify the fight against Islamist insurgents, who control an estimated 40% of the country.聽

Little is known about Captain Traor茅, the 34-year-old soldier who led an anti-jihadist unit in the north called Cobra.
His statement effectively declared himself the interim leader of Burkina Faso.

There have been attacks on French institutions, after it was reported that Lt Col Damiba was sheltering at a French military base in the capital, Ouagadougou. France's foreign ministry said they were the work of "hostile demonstrators" who had been "manipulated by a disinformation campaign against us".

Capt Traor茅 regards the former colonial power of France as an ally of the man he ousted, and has spoken of his willingness to work with new partners to fight Islamist insurgents - and analysts believe that could mean hiring Russian mercenaries. Some in Ouagadougou chanted pro-Russian slogans and waved Russian flags as they greeted the new junta leader and his convoy on Sunday.

Issa Napon, a local journalist in Ouagadougou, says "this coup was anything but a surprise".

(Photo: Burkina Faso's new self-proclaimed leader captain Ibrahim Traor茅 (C) attends a meeting in Ouagadougou on October 2, 2022. Credit: Getty Images)

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