Burkina Faso’s coup leader appointed transitional president

A national meeting Friday in Burkina Faso endorsed coup leader, Capt. Ibrahim Traore, as the transitional president, two weeks after he led a second coup in eight months in the West African country.

About 300 delegates, including representatives from the army and police, customary and religious organizations, civil society, trade unions and parties met in the nation’s capital of Ouagadougou to discuss plans to steer the country back to democratic rule.

The national forum “appointed Traore transition president,” said Omega Radio.

Traore is expected to lead the country until elections in July 2024, according to the transitional charter.

Last month, Traore, 34, led a group of disgruntled soldiers who deposed Lt. Col. Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba who had seized power in January.

Traore’s appointment was widely expected after he was named president under a “fundamental act” adopted by the junta group calling itself the Patriotic Movement for Safeguarding and Restoration (MPSR).

Before his appointment, demonstrators rallied in Ouagadougou to protest speculation that senior army officers had wanted to sideline Traore.

Traore was given the rank of captain in 2020 after returning from the UN's MINUSMA peacekeeping mission in neighboring Mali in 2018.

After the January coup that deposed President Roch Marc Christian Kabore, Traore became a member of the MPSR.

The national forum also examined the transitional charter.

Burkina Faso has suffered persistent insecurity posed by an insurgency that spread from Mali in the past decade.

Kabore and Damiba were accused of failing to address growing insecurity posed by terror groups in parts of the country.

Violent insecurity has displaced more than 1.5 million people as of Aug. 31, according to official data.