Burkina Faso in deep trouble once again
Apart from the fact that soldiers were manning the roads leading to the presidential palace, parliament and constitutional court in Burkina Faso’s capital, Ouagadougou amid gunshots fired near the presidential place on Friday it is not clear whether there has been another coup in the country to counter the coup that had taken place in January this year. The government television station went blank with the television screens showing “No video signal”. It has only added to the confusion as to who is in charge of the fragile country in West Africa. A statement from the presidential palace said, “Negotiations are underway to bring back calm and serenity. The enemy attacking our country only wants division between Burkinabes.” It indicates that there is trouble and the government is trying to deal with it through negotiations. It is not clear who are the people who are challenging the military government of President Paul Henri Sandaogo Damiba, the military man who overthrew the president, Roch Kabore, who was unable to reign in fighters spreading fear and mayhem in the country. Though Damiba has promised restoration of order, he has not been able to fulfil his promise. And the soldiers are disgruntled. It points to the fact that a coup, though it is not clear so far who are the people involved in it and who is the leader, is being atempted, and that it has not succeeded in replacing Damiba.
Observers have pointed out the events in Burkina Faso are not isolated, and that they have an impact on other countries in the region like Male and Guinea which had been facing political instability, and militias are roaming around threatening people. In the last few years, thousands of people fled Burkina Faso, and so did many from Male as well. Foreign mercenaries are also involved. Many of the countries in the region are former French colonies, and the French government of President Emmanuel Macron had tried to help bring political normalcy and deputed troops. But he had withdrawn them a few months ago as the French atempts to bring back order failed as there were competing militias in the region, some of them private armies comprising foreigners like Russians. This has been the situation in Libya as well.
It is indeed a mater of curiosity indeed as to why there is much volatility in these countries ater they had become independent from colonial rule. The most important reason seems to be that the people are poor and uneducated and ill. Aid from foreign sources like the United Nations agencies is both inadequate and it is diverted leaving the people high and dry. And most of the time the people misusing the aid as well as the finances are local elites who hold reins of political power.
The disturbing factor in the volatile situation in Burkina Faso has been the presence of fighters owing allegiance to Daesh. On Wednesday there was an atack on a convoy carrying food to a northern town, in which 11 soldiers were killed and 50 civilians went missing. The Daesh militants are suspected to be behind the atack, and the inference is that Friday’s coup against incumbent president Damiba is an expression of dissatisfaction with the government in failing to check the militants and their violence. Ornela Moderana Sahel (the region south of Sahara) analyst had summed up the situation in Burkina Faso: “There has been mounting tensions among the society and the military, but it’s way too early to tell what is going on. The situation is extremely complex. Burkina Faso is not confronting a security situation on its own, it’s affecting the whole region.” As the poor countries struggle to find some kind of stability, the major countries of Europe, the former colonial powers, are not bothered about the situation in the region. The UN aid agencies struggle to reach help to the people but there is not much they are able to do.