The United Nations (UN) secretary-general, António Guterres, has condemned the military takeover in Burkina Faso and called on the coup leaders to lay down their arms.
The military in Burkina Faso said on a state television on Monday, that they had overthrown President Roch Kaboré, citing the deteriorating security situation for their takeover.
Kaboré’s whereabouts remain secret, but the army officer who announced his overthrow said that all those detained were in a secure location.
“I am following developments in Burkina Faso with deep concern and strongly condemn any attempt to take over a government by the force of arms,” Guterres said in a Tuesday tweet.
“Coup leaders must lay down their arms and ensure the safety of the President and the protection of the country’s institutions,” he stated.
Burkina Faso, which means “land of honest men” is a landlocked country and has suffered from military coups. In 1983 Capt. Thomas Sankara captured power, but was ousted by Blaise Compaore, who went on to rule for 27 years before being overthrown in a popular uprising in 2014.
In 2015, Kaboré, who served as prime minister and speaker of parliament under Compaore, won the presidential elections and was reelected in 2020 after he easily trounced his main rival.
But he has faced growing discontent over his failure to stem an Islamist insurgency.
His party said over the weekend that both he and a government minister had survived an assassination attempt.
Original story on New Vision