CNN
—
The mediator despatched to Burkina Faso by West Africa’s most important political and financial bloc ECOWAS, Mahamadou Issoufou, on Tuesday mentioned he was glad by a gathering with the nation’s new navy chief Ibrahim Traore.
Issoufou added that the 15-member bloc would proceed accompanying Burkina Faso’s transition to constitutional rule after the nation was hit by its second military takeover this yr.
ECOWAS had repeatedly urged the junta that took management on Friday to respect a timetable agreed with their predecessors to return to constitutional rule by July 2024.
“We had very profound exchanges. Very frank exchanges,” Issoufou advised reporters after assembly non secular leaders and Traore within the capital Ouagadougou.
“I can guarantee you that ECOWAS will stay with the folks of Burkina Faso … and the troublesome problem they face,” he added.
Burkina Faso’s authorities launched an announcement saying the assembly passed off however offered no additional feedback.
The assembly passed off in opposition to a backdrop of protests in Ouagadougou that compelled the delegation to remain on the airport slightly than journey to a convention corridor within the metropolis heart for safety causes, a diplomatic supply mentioned.
Dozens of demonstrators blocked entry to the convention heart on Tuesday morning to stop the assembly from happening, a Reuters reporter mentioned.
The crowds remained comparatively small and peaceable.
However they adopted violent anti-France protests over the weekend that flared after Traore mentioned Damiba had taken refuge in a French navy base, which France denied.
Some accused the bloc of siding with France, Burkina Faso’s former colonizer, and doing little to assist the nation sort out a rampant Islamist insurgency that has killed a whole bunch, displaced 1000’s, and pushed besieged cities within the north to the brink of famine.
Frustrations over rising insecurity spurred each the first military takeover in January and the most recent coup.
ECOWAS is struggling to facilitate a return to constitutional order in Burkina Faso, Chad, Guinea, and Mali, all of which have seen coups since 2020.
