AU Suspends Burkina Faso Following Military Coup

In response to last week’s military coup, the African Union has suspended Burkina Faso from all of its activities, effective until constitutional order is restored, the AU announced on Monday.

Burkina Faso had previously been suspended from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), though sanctions had not been imposed until the January 24 coup that toppled President Roch Kabore.

According to Shirley Ayorkor Botchway, Ghana’s foreign minister and head of the mission to Ouagadougou, an ECOWAS group met with Kabore on Monday and found him “in good spirits.”

Ayorkor Botchway informed journalists that the former president appears to be in good health, has access to his doctors, and is allowed visits from his family. Since his ouster, no information concerning his whereabouts or condition had been released.

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The delegation also met with coup leaders, including Lieutenant Colonel Paul-Henri Damiba, the new head of state, to discuss security and the political transition, she said.

“They seemed very open to the proposals and to us that is a good sign,” said Ayorkor Botchway. “It is our position that the transition should be short, so that Burkina Faso can return quickly back to constitutional order.”

Following their own military takeovers last year, the AU and ECOWAS suspended two more members, Mali and Guinea. Burkina Faso’s coup was the fourth in West Africa in the last 18 months, following two in Mali.

While regional leaders and allies have condemned the coup, which they worry would further destabilize a country already plagued by Islamist extremism, they are constrained in their options.

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The Patriotic Movement for Safeguard and Restoration (MPSR), led by Damiba, released a tentative charter on Monday outlining basic rights and establishing the MPSR as the primary authority while a transitional government is put in place.

The MPSR declared Damiba the president of Burkina Faso and the leader of the armed forces in a statement aired on national television, and removed the army chief of staff and the head of the national intelligence agency from their positions.

The constitution, which the officers had suspended when they took control, has been reinstated, with the exception of any sections that violate the new charter.

According to Ayorkor Botchway, the ECOWAS group will report on their visit, and there will be another meeting with regional heads of state on Thursday.