Burkina Faso: Gunfire heard near presidential palace

Reports of gunfire near Burkina Faso’s presidential palace could signal a further undermining of the military junta’s grip on power, as reported by RFI and agencies on March 2nd.

Between February 28th and March 1st, explosions were heard near the palace in Ouagadougou, where junta leader Ibrahim Traoré has resided since seizing power in September 2022.

Supporters of Traoré’s regime, known as “Waiyans”, sounded the alarm shortly after midnight on March 1st, believing they were witnessing a coup attempt, although this claim has since been dismissed.

In recent weeks, Burkina Faso has experienced mounting “tensions among the military regarding the management of the security situation“, likely referencing growing jihadist violence in Burkina Faso and the Sahel more broadly.

On February 14th, dozens of people were killed in separate attacks in the northern city of Titao and near the eastern Fada N’Gourma region, with the latter targeting a Water and Forestry Combat Units (UCEF) base.

While it is unclear if jihadist militants were responsible for either attack or if the attacks were connected, the al-Qaeda affiliated Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM) has a presence in the Fada N’Gourma region, which borders Niger.

Furthermore, 11 police officers were killed in the Eastern Region’s Gourma province between January 17th and 18th when “several hundred jihadists” attacked a police detachment.

Despite vowing to counter Islamist extremism and restore stability upon seizing power, Traoré’s regime has struggled to contain the threat posed by jihadist insurgents.

Under the guise of fighting terrorism, the junta has become increasingly authoritarian in its suppression of alleged dissent, including the dissolution of political parties.

Similarly, the junta has been accused by Human Rights Watch of perpetrating mass killings of civilians by the Burkinabe military and pro-government militias over suspected terrorist ties.

In January, former transitional president Paul-Henri Damiba was arrested in Togo before being extradited to Burkina Faso on charges including embezzlement, corruption, and incitement to commit offences.

Traoré ousted Damiba after eight months in office in September 2022, the second military coup the country experienced that year; until his arrest, Damiba had been living in exile in neighbouring Togo.

Following Damiba’s arrest, it was reported that the Burkinabe military was being purged of those with alleged ties to Damiba, with several commanding officers reported missing.

RFI and agencies, Maghrebi.org