Burkina Faso’s Constitutional Council on Thursday appointed Lt. Col. Paul Henri Sandaogo Damiba, the military leader who staged a coup last month, as the president of the West African nation, reported CGTN Africa.
The move is in line with the military junta’s announcement made last month that said Mr. Damiba would be appointed to those roles for a transitional period and would be assisted by two vice presidents.
In a statement, the Constitutional Council said that the new president’s formal swearing-in would take place on February 16 in the capital Ouagadougou.
On January 24, Burkina Faso’s military led by Mr. Damiba forced out the country’s elected president, Roch Marc Christian Kabore, who had faced a wave of public anger over his handling of a bloody jihadist insurgency that’s spreading in the Sahel region.
Facing pressure from Burkina Faso’s partners in West Africa and international organizations, the junta last week reversed its suspension of the constitution and ended an overnight curfew.
On January 24, the junta vowed to re-establish constitutional order in the country within a reasonable time. On Saturday, it announced that a 15-member commission would be set up with the goal of “drawing up a draft charter and agenda, together with a proposal for the duration of the transition period.”
The panel will be given two weeks to report back.
In related news, the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) has expressed serious concerns about the unconstitutional change of government in Burkina Faso and called for the release and protection of President Kabore and other government officials.
In a statement, the UNSC said that Council members took note of the decision by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the African Union to suspend Burkina Faso’s membership until there is a swift and effective restoration of constitutional order by the military authorities.
The UNSC also expressed support for regional mediation efforts to resolve the crisis.
