Captain Ibrahim Traore appointed Burkina Faso President

Captain Ibrahim Traore was appointed as the president of Burkina Faso. It was the second coup in nine months in the west African country. President Paul-Henri Damiba was deposed by Traore and a group of soldiers on September 30.
Captain Ibrahim Traore

Captain Ibrahim Traore (centre) during televised address on October 1, 2022 (Photo: Twitter/@sejudav)

Ouagadougou: Captain Ibrahim Traore was appointed as the president of Burkina Faso on Wednesday. As per an official statement, Traore has been appointed as "Head of State, Supreme Head of the Armed Forces". As per the statement, Traore would now be the "guarantor of national independence, territorial integrity... and continuity of the State", reported AFP.
It was the second coup in nine months in the west African country. President Paul-Henri Damiba was deposed by Traore and a group of soldiers on September 30. He then took charge and suspended the constitution. The 34-year-old military leader in a televised address said that the step was taken as Damiba was unable to deal with an armed uprising in the country.
Speculations are rife that the new president will forge close ties with Russia. On Tuesday, a delegation of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) met Traore and other religious and traditional leaders.
Notably, on January 24, Burkina Faso's President Roch Kabore was removed from the post by the country's army, led by Damiba. Kabore remained in power for more than six years. Damiba had promised to control the deteriorating security situation. However, Traore said that Damiba failed to deal with al-Qaeda and the ISIL (ISIS) fighters.
The former military leader reportedly took pro-France stance to wipe out rebel armed groups. However, he was critises for his approach as there were growing anti-France sentiments in the country. According to reports, the former military leader fled to Togo.
For years, Burkina Faso was witnessing violent activities of al-Qaeda and the ISIL fighters. Thousands of people have been killed in the violence, while over two million people have been displaced so far.
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