Burkina Faso: Coup Leader To Become Interim President

A young army captain who led the latest coup in Burkina Faso was on Friday “unanimously” named interim president until elections are held in July 2024, two members of the ruling junta told AFP.

Captain Ibrahim Traore, 34, led disgruntled junior officers in the second coup in eight months to hit the jihadist-torn West African country.

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Some 300 delegates from political parties, social and religious groups, security forces, unions as well as people displaced by jihadist violence took part in a national forum on Friday.

Held in the capital, Ouagadougou, it discussed the country’s future before power is supposed to return to civilians.

“Captain Traore has just been unanimously designated president of the transition (government) by the national forum,” a member of the nation’s junta said.

Another junta member confirmed the move. Two weeks ago, Traore toppled Lieutenant-Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Dambila.

A few days ago, Znewsgh.com reported that a former journalist and opposition leader Saleh Kebzabo has been appointed prime minister of Chad, the military confirmed by decree on Wednesday.

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The veteran politician was defeated in presidential elections on four occasions by Idriss Deby Itno, who ruled Chad for more than three decades until he was killed during a military operation in April 2021. 

He was then succeeded by a junta headed by his son, Mahamat, a 38-year-old five-star general. Kebzabo replaces Albert Pahimi Padacke, a civilian politician who was named prime minister of a transitional military government last year after Mahamat Idriss Deby seized power.

The junta had originally declared it would restore civilian rule after 18 months in power, and Deby had at first vowed not to participate in the proposed upcoming elections.