- Burkina Faso’s interim president Captain Ibrahim Traoré Confirmed the rumours on social media of a failed coup attempt against his government. Supporters of Traoré gathered in the capital to denounce an attempt to destabilise the regime.
Burkina Faso’s interim president Captain Ibrahim Traoré Confirmed the rumours on social media of a failed coup attempt against his government. Supporters of Traoré gathered in the capital to denounce an attempt to destabilise the regime.
Captain Traoré urged his supporters and civil society to form watchdog cells in neighbourhoods to ensure the smooth running of the transition. Traoré, also came to power through a coup in September. Burkina Faso has been battling with a seven-year jihadist insurgency that spread to Burkina Faso from neighbouring Mali, killing thousands. Due to the turbulence in the country, almost two million people have fled their homes. About one-third of the country lies outside the government’s control.
The government has launched recruitment for the 50,000-strong Volunteers for the Defence of the Fatherland (VDP) – a civilian militia that supports the army in the fight against jihadists. The government has sought support from its former colonial power France, to provide the VDP with weapons and ammunition and also financial assistance. Prime Minister Apollinaire Kielem de Tembela had a meeting with French ambassador Luc Hallade, in this regard.
Also read;
https://trendsnafrica.com/white-house-blacklists-burkina-faso-2/
https://trendsnafrica.com/new-government-in-burkina-faso-sets-priorities/
The VDP was set up in December 2019 by recruiting civilian volunteers. After two weeks of military training, they work alongside the army, carrying out surveillance, information-gathering or escort duties. Several hundreds of these poorly trained volunteers have perished in ambushes or explosions caused by improvised explosive devices (IEDs) planted along roadsides.
