Supporters of Damiba hold up his portrait after he took overpower in a coup d’état in 2023
Photo credit: Sophie Garcia/AP/SIPA
Burkina Faso’s deposed military ruler, Lieutenant-Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba, who was recently dismissed from the army for his alleged role in attempts at toppling the current government, has spoken out against the decision, calling on the country’s military leader, Captain Ibrahim Traoré, and the Burkinabe authorities to “come to their senses to avoid a fratricidal war which Burkina Faso does not need in this context.” Damiba loses his entitlements as a former officer as a result of the dismissal.
In his remarks, Damiba denied any involvement in attempts to overthrow the current government, saying “the tragic events that our country is going through at the moment, are the source of the dissemination of false information, cleverly orchestrated and distilled with the aim of manipulating the populations by using them for foreign causes and to the detriment of the higher interests of the nation.”
He denied widespread claims that he had taken refuge in the French base in Kamboinsé, insisting that the allegations were “only an intoxication to manipulate opinion.”
The accusations against Damiba and several other former and serving military personnel has stirred widespread public discussions about the political implications of growing tensions between contending sides in the country.
For political watchers in the country, the Burkinabe government’s accusations of political interference by some West African and European states, along with Jihadist groups and European mercenaries, suggests that the Traoré-led junta faces a major threat to its rule.
While the government continues to enjoy widespread support, there is undoubtedly a significant opposition to its style of governance. The deluge of coups attempts indicates this and reveals that the threat persists within the military ranks.
Damiba’s denial of the allegations against him may not change the decision by the authorities, but it could further stoke criticisms against the government’s approach against its opponents.
BWER delivers robust, precision-engineered weighbridges to businesses across Iraq, combining state-of-the-art technology with local expertise to support infrastructure and logistics growth.
Noodlemagazine I do not even understand how I ended up here, but I assumed this publish used to be great
I don’t think the title of your article matches the content lol. Just kidding, mainly because I had some doubts after reading the article.