Politics

Ousted former Burkina Faso President allowed to return home after months of house arrest

Published

3 years ago

April 8, 2022

Former President of Burkina Faso, Roch Marc Christian Kabore, has been allowed to return to his personal home after months of being under strict house arrest since he was removed in a coup in January.

The Burkinabe military junta spokesman, Wendkouni Joel Lionel Bilgo, said in a statement on Friday that Kabore has been allowed to return to his residence in the capital, Ouagadougou, following three weeks of consultations across the country, but added that the ex-president’s residence will be guarded round the clock by government security,

As part of the deal, Kabore will be allowed to see family and close friends and to use his phone, but he is not permitted to freely move outside his home without the permission of the military, a member of the ruling junta told a journalist on the condition of anonymity.

Kabore’s ouster on January 24 by Army officers who were disgruntled by his leadership style and his handling of lingering jihadist insurgency that has claimed some 2,000 lives and forced another two million people to flee their homes, had led the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), to place various sanctions on the country.

The West African regional body had also expressed concern over the junta’s transition period and demanded that by April 25, the military rulers should propose a shorter time to elections as against the junta’s announcement that it intends to stay in power for three years before holding elections and returning Burkina Faso to civilian, democratic rule.

Africa News Watch had, on April 1, reported that the West African regional body, after a summit in Accra, Ghana, on March 25, demanded the immediate release release
Kaboré’s from house arrest by the Patriotic Movement for Safeguard and Restoration (MPSR),

However, the military government rejected the demands, saying it had the right to do things its own way.

“The government of Burkina Faso has only one deadline. The deadline is to do things right, to plan its actions in accordance with the realities on the ground, in all objectivity and with the greatest possible prudence and realism,” Bilgo said at a press conference.

Related Topics:#COUP Burkina Faso Featured House Arrest

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Politics

Mali’s junta names spokesman Abdoulaye Maiga new Prime Minister

Published

2 hours ago

November 22, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

A day after dismissing Choguel Maiga for criticising the government, Mali’s governing junta named its spokesperson, Abdoulaye Maiga, as Prime Minister on Thursday, according to state broadcaster, ORTM.

A source close to Choguel Maiga told Reuters that the ruling generals were incensed by Maiga’s remarks over the weekend denouncing the junta’s inability to hold elections within the 24-month timeframe given for the return to democracy.

After promising to hold elections in February, the military authorities, who took control in two separate coups in 2020 and 2021, have put off the poll indefinitely, citing technological difficulties.

Choguel Maiga’s firing coincides with indications of growing discontent and disarray among Mali politicians, even those who first supported the coup and collaborated with the junta.

As the wait for elections continues, Choguel Maiga, a civilian prime minister who was installed by the military junta in 2021, is the most recent to lose support.

He was cited on Saturday as claiming he learnt of the junta’s decision via the media and that there had been no discussion regarding the delay of the elections inside the cabinet.

“It’s all happening in total secrecy, without the prime minister’s knowledge,” Choguel Maiga told reporters.

Before then, he had frequently stood up for Mali’s junta against criticism from foreign friends and neighbours in West Africa who denounced its repeated election delays and military collaboration with Russian mercenaries.

As government spokesperson, Abdoulaye Maiga, the new prime minister, has also made strong public remarks against France, the previous colonial master. One such speech was demanding French President Emmanuel Macron to stop his “neocolonial” and “condescending” behaviour.

Abdoulaye Maiga and Assimi Goita, the leaders of the junta, announced they had kept all of the important cabinet ministers in their portfolios in the new administration in a statement that was broadcast on state television ORTM.

The announcement said that Abdoulaye Maiga will remain minister of territory administration.

Politics

Congo opposition mobilizes protests against constitution review

Published

24 hours ago

November 21, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

In response to President Felix Tshisekedi’s intentions to amend the constitution, opposition lawmakers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo have called for national protests on Wednesday.

Tshisekedi, who was sworn in for his second and last term in January, said that a panel would be formed in October to recommend possible constitutional amendments.

According to critics, it may be a ploy to lift term restrictions and give him another chance to run.

Tshisekedi said the current constitution, ratified by a referendum in 2005, needed to change because it did not align with the country’s current realities.

Opposition politicians, including former president Joseph Kabila and past presidential candidates Martin Fayulu and Moise Katumbi, issued a unified statement on Wednesday urging rallies to “block” Tshisekedi.

A request for a response from the Congo’s presidency was not answered.

Patrick Muyaya, the minister of communications, stated on Monday that discussions surrounding the constitutional revision should be de-politicized and that no one should doubt the president’s intentions.

“We’re at the beginning of our mandate… The President of the Republic still has four years to go, and we must avoid attributing intentions to him,” Muyaya told reporters.