(4 minutes read)
· The military junta of Burkina Faso has announced the restauration of constitutional order. Surprisingly, this development has come just one week after the coup, which ousted elected president Kabore and suspended the Constitution
· A spokesman of the military notified the citizens that the junta had approved a “fundamental act”, which is a 37-article document lifting the suspension of the Constitution
· The document guarantees independence of the judiciary. The fundamental act also upholds presumption of innocence and granting of basic liberties as spelt out in the June 2, 1991 Constitution.
The military junta of Burkina Faso has announced the restauration of constitutional order. Surprisingly, this development has come just one week after the coup, which ousted elected president Kabore and suspended the Constitution.
A spokesman of the military notified the citizens that the junta had approved a “fundamental act”, which is a 37-article document lifting the suspension of the Constitution.
The document guarantees independence of the judiciary. The fundamental act also upholds presumption of innocence and granting of basic liberties as spelt out in the June 2, 1991 Constitution. These include freedom of movement and freedom of speech. It also secures power in the hands of the military.
The junta — officially named the Patriotic Movement for Preservation and Restoration (MPSR) — “ensures the continuity of the state. However, the establishment of transitional bodies is pending and there is no mention when these bodies are going to be set up and no time limit is also indicated for that process.
The statement formally named coup leader Lieutenant-Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba as president of the MPSR. His role also encompasses “president of Burkina Faso, head of state (and) supreme leader of the armed forces
Some Burkinabe hailed the leader of the Patriotic Movement for Safeguard and Restoration (MPSR), Lt Kernel Damiba, after usurping the power. On the other hand, ECOWAS, the regional association sanctioned Burkina Faso by suspending the country from the West African group. The Economic Community of West African States sent military chiefs to confer with Damiba on Saturday. On last Monday, an ECOWAS mission headed by Ghanaian Foreign minister Shirley Ayorkor Botchway arrived in Ouagadougou as reported by www.trendsnafrica.com. It was joined by the UN’s special representative for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS), Mahamat Saleh Annadif. In a later development, the African Union (AU) suspended Burkina Faso from its membership a week after the volatile country suffered its latest coup. In the meantime, West African leaders are meeting at Accra on Thursday to decide on the sanctions to be imposed on the Sahel country.
