Captain Ibrahim Traoré, who took power two weeks ago during a putsch in Burkina Faso, the second in eight months, was appointed on Friday October 14 ” unanimously “ transitional president until a presidential election scheduled for July 2024 in this country plagued by jihadist violence.
Captain Traoré was appointed by national meetings bringing together some 300 representatives of the army and the police, customary and religious organizations, civil society, trade unions, parties and internally displaced victims of the jihadist attacks hitting Burkina. since 2015.
The assizes adopted article 5 of a “transition charter” which states that “the president of the MPSR assumes the functions of president of the transition, head of state, supreme head of the national armed forces”, according to the same sources. Captain Traoré has taken over the leadership of the MPSR since the September 30 putsch.
34-year-old captain
The assizes also adopted article 4 of this charter which emphasizes that “the mandate of the president of the transition ends with the inauguration of the president resulting from the presidential election” scheduled for 2024. This article specifies that “the president of the transition is not eligible for the presidential, legislative and municipal elections which will be organized to put an end to the transition”.
On January 24, soldiers led by Lieutenant-Colonel Paul Henri Sandaogo Damiba and grouped within the MPSR overthrew President Roch Marc Christian Kaboré, accused of incapacity in the face of the jihadist attacks which have multiplied in Burkina.
They have not stopped in eight months and, faced with the constant deterioration of the situation, a new putsch took place on September 30, which brought to power a young 34-year-old captain, Ibrahim Traoré, in order to “refocus the transition on security emergencies”according to the junta.
Street support
Officially appointed president shortly after taking power, Captain Traoré had assured that he would only send “current affairs” until the appointment of a new civilian or military transitional president by “national meetings”.
But since September 30, he has not ceased to benefit from the support of the street. Again on Friday, several hundred people demonstrated near the Conference Center where the meeting was held, brandishing his portrait and shouting his name, others waving Russian, Burkinabè and Malian flags.