ECOWAS suspends Burkina Faso after coup, bloc down to 12 nations

The Economic Community of West Africa States, ECOWAS, is a fifteen-nation bloc under normal circumstances but as of today, there are only a dozen nations involved in its affairs.

Three countries have been suspended in the last few years, the latest being Burkina Faso, where a coup of January 24, 2022, toppled President Christian Roch Marc Kabore.

ECOWAS leaders

Read full articleheld a virtual summit called chairperson Nana Akufo-Addo of Ghana on January 28, 2022. It was at this summit that the suspension was imposed.

Burkina Faso joins Mali and Guinea who were also suspended after their democratically elected presidents Ibrahim Boubakar Keita and Alpha Conde respectively were ousted by the military.

Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba is the leader of the junta that overthrew Kabore. Until his 'rise' to the position of coup leader, Damiba's last held post as a Lieutenant Colonel of the army was head of security for the capital, Ouagadougou (the country's third security region).

He had only been handed that post in December 2021 by outgone President Kabore in a move analysts said was to retain support of the military at the time.

From Ouagadougou security chief, Damiba was announced on Monday evening as leader of the junta known as "Patriotic Movement for Safeguard and Restoration, or MPSR."

He spoke for the first time on Thursday emphasizing that the coup was necessitated by rising insecurity and that he will return the country to constitutional order when the time is right. He also called on all partners to support the country especially in these times.