CHANGING OF THE GUARD
…Burkina Faso president resigns on condition coup leader guarantees his safety
OUAGADOUGOU - Burkina Faso's self-declared military leader Captain Ibrahim Traore has accepted a conditional resignation offered by President Paul-Henri Damiba to avoid further violence after Friday's coup, religious and traditional leaders said on Sunday.
According to the deal, announced at a press conference, Traore had agreed to seven conditions, including a guarantee of Damiba's safety and the security of soldiers who backed him, and the honouring of promises made to the West Africa regional bloc to return to constitutional rule by July 2024.
Damiba could not be reached for comment. A close family member said he left the country on Sunday.
Traore said earlier that order was being restored after violent protests against the French embassy and days of fighting as his faction moved to topple the government.
Splits have emerged within the army, with many soldiers
appearing to seek Russian support as the influence of former colonial power France wanes.
At least three separate videos shared on online on Saturday and Sunday showed soldiers atop armoured personnel
carriers, waving Russian flags, while the crowd around chanted "Russia! Russia!" These have not been verified.
Traore's team urged people to halt attacks on the French embassy, targeted by protest
ers after an officer said France had sheltered Damiba at a French military base and that he was planning a counter-offensive.
The French Foreign ministry denied the base had hosted Damiba after his ouster on Friday. Damiba also denied he was at the base, saying the reports were a deliberate manipulation of public opinion.
"We want to inform the population that the situation is under control and order is being restored," an army officer said in a statement broadcast on national television.
Another statement said Traore would continue to act as president until a transitional civilian or military president is designated in the coming weeks.
Ouagadougou was mostly calm on Sunday after sporadic gunfire across the capital throughout Saturday between opposing army factions.
Damiba himself led a coup earlier this year against a civilian government that had lost support over rising violence by Islamist extremists. Damiba's failure to stop the militant groups had led to anger in the ranks of the armed forces in the former French protectorate.