A mediator sent to Burkina Faso by West Africa’s main political and economic group ECOWAS, Mahamadou Issoufou, on Tuesday said he was pleased with the meeting with the country’s new military leader. Ibrahim Traore.
Issoufou added that the 15-member group will continue to monitor Burkina Faso’s transition to constitutional governance after the country is “defeated”. Affected by the Second Military Revolution this year.Burkina Faso coup: ECOWAS mediators
ECOWAS has repeatedly urged the authoritarian government it took control on Friday to respect the schedule agreed with previous parties to return to constitutional rule by July 2024.
“We have a very profound exchange. A very straightforward exchange,” Issufu told reporters after meeting religious leaders and Traore in the capital Ouagadougou.
“I can assure you that ECOWAS will remain with the people of Burkina Faso … and the difficult challenges they face,” he added.
The Burkina Faso government issued a statement saying the meeting took place. but did not comment further.
The meeting took place amid protests in the city of Ouagadougou. which forced the delegation to be at the airport Instead of traveling to the auditorium in the city center for safety reasons. A diplomatic source said
Dozens of protesters blocked access to the convention center on Tuesday morning to prevent a meeting. A Reuters reporter said.
The crowd was still relatively small and calm.
But they did. Violent anti-French protests Over the weekend that erupted after Traore said Damiba had taken refuge in a French military base. which the French reject
Some have accused the group of siding with France. which is the former colony of Burkina Faso and doing little to help the country deal with the Islamist insurgency that has killed hundreds. thousands of displaced people and pushed the besieged city in the north out of starvation.
Disappointment with the growing insecurity provoked both. The first military revolution in January and the latest coup
ECOWAS is struggling to facilitate a return to constitutional order in Burkina Faso, Chad. Guineaand MaliAll of which have had a coup d’état since 2020.
