PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari has been delegated to head a team of Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas) leaders to visit Burkina Faso with the aim of convincing the country's military to hand back power to civilian authorities.
Last week, Burkinabe army officers staged a military coup, arresting interim president Michel Kafando and prime minister Yacouba Zida. At the moment, the situation is very fluid as soldiers loyal to the government have entered the capital Ouagadougou but Ecowas is insisting that Mt Kafando be restored to power and be allowed to conduct general elections.
On October 31 last year, Burkina Faso's army seized power after the outbreak of widespread popular demonstrations to end the 27-year rule of President Blaise Compaore. Having first seized power in a military coup in 1978, President Compaore went on to win four disputed elections and wanted to extend his stay further, which prompted the uprising.
However, after the intervention of other African governments, the Burkinabe army agreed to hand over power to Mr Kafando, who was tasked with conducting general elections. Burkina Faso's former foreign minister and permanent representative to the United Nations, Mr Kafando was due to oversee elections on October 11 this year.
Keen to stick to the agreed programme, an Ecowas delegation made up of the presidents of Nigeria, Niger Republic, Togo, Ghana, Benin Republic and Senegal will visit Ouagadougou this week. Ecowas will also send military and humanitarian observers to Burkina Faso in liaison with the African Union and the United Nations to monitor respect for human rights.
Desire Ouedraogo, the president of the commission, said: “They have decided to dispatch a delegation of heads of state to go to Burkina Faso to re-establish Michel Kafando in his function as president of the transition in Burkina Faso. They have decided that the chairman of the authority in liaison with the Federal Republic of Nigeria will initiate a political dialogue among all stakeholders with a view to finding concessional solutions to the items contained in the peace accord proposal presented by President Mackey Sall and President Boni Yayi of Senegal and Benin Republic respectively.
“They called on the presidential guards to disarm and demanded the other unit of the army not to use force to avoid loss of human lives. They have also called on all the stakeholders to exercise patience and refrain from anything that can derail the national consensus."
Senegalese president and the chairman of Ecowas, Macky Sall, had called on the military junta in Burkina Faso to hand over power to the interim administration immediately while the country awaits the conduct of the upcoming general election. He also called for the elections, originally due to hold this month, to be shifted to November.
President Buhari who hosted a meeting of Ecowas leaders in Abuja where the decisions were taken said that the recent developments in Burkina Faso ran contrary to the expectations of the sub-region. Burkinabe coup leader General Gilbert Diendere, has said he would abide by a deal reached with the mediators but warned his men would defend themselves if attacked after the army entered the capital.
He has called for troops who entered Ouagadougou seeking a surrender by his elite army unit to leave the city. President Buhari will be expected to appeal to both sides to refrain from engaging in a military confrontation.
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