Burkina Faso: Putsch 2022

Abstract

In June 2021, the most authoritative experts of the Paris Center for Analysis, Forecasting and Strategy sent an analytical report to the President of France. In the report the experts urged him to be prepared for a prolonged destabilization in Africa and warned that the coming global political crisis could break the fragile political regimes in the Sahel and Central Africa. This prediction turned out to be prophetic. The military coup in Mali in May 2021 led to the overthrow of President B.Ndau. In September, a military coup took place in Guinea, during which the country's president, A.Conde, was detained. In January of this year, President M. Kabore was arrested as a result of the coup that took place in Burkina Faso. Since 2015, this country has been involved in a spiral of violence perpetrated in Africa by jihadist movements. Its citizens more and more clearly demonstrated dissatisfaction with the inability of the authorities to ensure the safety of the population and protect people from the raids of the Islamists, the army, in turn, was outraged by the poor supply and incompetence of the command. Kabore was unable to overcome the political crisis in the country. As a result of the military coup, officers came to power who showed clear sympathy for Russia and the Russian president. These political orientations found support among the citizens of the country and became apparent during mass demonstrations in the capital. Participants in the capital's actions in support of the new leadership of the country demonstrated their rejection of France's African policy. Paris strongly condemned the military coup in Burkina Faso, as well as the change of political regimes in Mali and Guinea. On February 17, the Elysee Palace announced that France and its partners in Operation Takuba had decided to withdraw troops from the Sahel. On the contrary, immediately after the coup, the Russian private military company Wagner declared its readiness to assist in the modernization of the Burkenian army and to help strengthen the country's defense capability.