The latest story coming from West Africa has revealed that, the people in Burkina Faso, woke up early Saturday morning (30 September 2022); just to be welcomed with another military overthrow…making it its second coup d’état in the year 2022.
Burkina Faso’s first 2022 successful coup took place on January 24, 2022; where the Patriotic Movement for Safeguard and Restoration (MPSR) supported by the military, arrested and deposed the elected president; President Roch Marc Christian Kaboré.
After the overthrow in January, the MPSR; supported by the military, and led by Lieutenant Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba declared itself to be in power.
Later in January 31, 2022, the military junta restored the country’s constitution; and appointed Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba as interim president; an action the international communities strongly condemned; and leading to Burkina Faso’s suspension from ECOWAS and African Union.
Again, on February 10th this year, the Constitutional Council declared the interim President, Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba President; and on February 19 2022, he was sworn in as a new President of Burkina Faso.
According to reports coming from Burkina Faso, one main reason for enthroning Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba as the interim president, was for him to work towards fighting Jihadist attacks in the country, but since assuming office, President Sandaogo Damiba has failed the course.
Eight months after seizing power and ruling as a president, President Damiba (on September 30, 2022); has been overthrown by another military coup, led by Capt. Ibrahim Traor.
According to the coup leader Ibrahim Traore, the interim president Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba was ousted because of his inability of to deal with an Islamist insurgencies in the country.
This latest development in Burkina Faso has pushed many Ghanaian’s mind back to the Story of the Late Former Presidents; Jerry John Rawlings and Dr. Hilla Limann between the 1979 to 1981.
In the year 1979; following a military coup led by JJ Rawlings, Dr. Hilla Limann (who had then been newly elected President of Ghana’s Third Republic in 1979), was handed power (by the Coup leader, JJ Rawlings).
Dr. Limann assumed office as president on 24 September 1979, but after two years in office; was removed from power on December 31st, 1981; in another coup led by JJ Rawlings.
JJ Rawlings’s reasons for overthrowing President Dr. Hilla Limann from office was that, his rule was weak; and the country’s economy under him was deteriorating.
In as much as every coup leader has a reason for overthrowing a government, the reasons given in these two stories (by Capt. Ibrahim Traor in Burkina Faso’s September 2022 Coup; and JJ Rawlings’s December 1981 coup), appears very similar.
In the two coup d’états (By JJ Rawlings and Ibrahim Traor), the Presidents who were removed from power, were given power by the same military who gave them power.
In Ghana, President Hilla Limann was handed power by the Military; and in two years, was removed from office by the same military.
In Burkina Faso too; President Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba was handed power as President by the military; but after about eight months, was ousted from office by the same military.
The question now is…as the latest Burkinabe’s coup reminds Ghanaians of JJ Rawlings and Dr. Limann’s story, what’s up next for Burkina Faso?
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