The Paper's reporter Wang Zhuoyi
CCTV News Figure
On January 27, local time, Lieutenant Colonel Sandorgo Damibba, the military leader of the coup in Burkina Faso, said that the country would return to constitutional order when conditions were ripe.
The background of Damibah's statement is that the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is scheduled to hold an emergency meeting on the coup d'état in Burkina Faso on the 28th. Zhu Ming, director of the Regional Cooperation Office of the Shanghai Institute of International Studies, told the surging news (www.thepaper.cn) that in light of the attitude of the Western Community toward Mali and Guinea, which also had previous coups, the organization may impose sanctions on Burkina Faso to a certain extent, but the substantive effect of the sanctions remains to be seen.
The coup d'état soldiers sought the support of the international community
According to Reuters reported on January 27, Damibba made the above statement in his first national television speech after the dismissal of President Kabore on the 24th, wearing a red beret and a military uniform on the same day, and there was the Burkina Faso flag on both sides.
Damibba said the "deadline" for restoring constitutional order would be decided by the people of Burkina Faso.
When power was seized on January 24, Damibah's Patriotic Movement for the Salvation and Renewal (MPSR) claimed that it would propose a timetable for the restoration of the country's constitutional order "within a reasonable period of time," though it did not specify specific plans.
Damibah also said that all sectors of Burkina Faso society would be convened to agree on planning and advancing the necessary reforms, and he hoped that all parties throughout the country would be included in the governance of the transitional period.
In his speech, Damibba also sought the support of the international community, saying that Burkina Faso "needs international partners more than ever" and that international support can enable Burkina Faso to "emerge from the crisis as soon as possible," France's 24 television reported on January 27.
Detained president "in good health"
Since the coup, The safety of Kabore has attracted the attention of all parties. A party member of Burkina Faso's ruling people's movement for progress (MPP) told AFP on the 26th that the coup soldiers put Kabore under house arrest in a villa, "in good physical condition, but can not disclose his mental state." Under the surveillance of the coup d'état soldiers, Kabore is currently cared for by a doctor and has access to a mobile phone.
Burkina Faso's coup soldiers warned former ministers of the country's government not to leave the capital Ouagadougou or to obstruct the actions of coup officers during negotiations to resume democratic elections, Al Jazeera reported on January 27.
According to a former government minister who asked for anonymity, Damiba met with several officials of the overthrown Government of Burkina Faso on the 26th, issued the above warnings to them, but welcomed their contributions to the transition of power.
Earlier on the 27th, the coup soldiers also held a meeting with about 20 trade union leaders in Ouagadougou for about half an hour. Marcel Zante, the umbrella union leader who attended the meeting, said Mr. Damibba assured union leaders that "their opinions will be consulted and incorporated into the plans to be implemented by the military."
The United States and France can also influence the situation in Burkina Faso
The 15 member states of ECOWAS are scheduled to convene an emergency meeting on the coup in Burkina Faso at 10:00 local time on January 28 (18:00 beijing time on the same day). On January 25, ECOWAS issued a statement "strongly condemning" the coup d'état in Burkina Faso and accusing the country's military of forcing Kabore to resign through "threats, intimidation and pressure".
In response to military coups between Mali and Guinea in August 2020 and September 2021, respectively, THE TWO COUNTRIES HAVE NOW SUSPENDED MEMBERSHIP. On January 9 of this year, as the Transitional Government of Mali postponed elections scheduled for February 2022, ECOWAS again decided to impose comprehensive economic sanctions on Mali, while the organization's member states closed their borders with Mali.
Clement Sawadogo, vice-president of the Movement for progressive people, argued that the military "must do its utmost to prevent the imposition of sanctions by the international community against Burkina Faso". He called for a "sensible solution" to Burkina Faso's current "security crisis, which is intertwined with a socio-economic crisis".
However, Zhu Ming believes that it is "certain" that a certain degree of sanctions imposed by ECOWAS on Burkina Faso depends on several aspects. "The first is the question of whether sanctions have touched the lifeblood of Burkina Faso's economy". The biggest trading partners of many African countries are not in Africa, but in Europe, the United States or China. "If THE IMPOSITION OF SANCTIONS DOES NOT AFFECT THE IMPORT AND EXPORT OF BURKINA FASO, THE SANCTIONS WILL APPEAR INSIGNIFICIOUS TO IT, AND BURKINA FASO WILL LOSE ONLY A SMALL PART OF ITS FOREIGN ECONOMIC BENEFITS".
On the other hand, whether sanctions are "one-step" or incremental will also affect their substantive effect. If ECOWAS imposed severe sanctions that could "hit the point", "the military in Burkina Faso is relatively less likely to be soft".
In addition, Zhu Ming also pointed out that in addition to international organizations in the African region such as ECOWAS, the United States and France, the former suzerainty of Burkina Faso, can also play a key role in the situation in Burkina Faso.
Responsible Editor: Zhang Wuwei Photo Editor: Hu Mengxi
Proofreader: Zhang Liangliang