Burkina Faso coup leader Damiba sworn in as president

OUAGADOUGOU, Feb 17 (YPA) – Burkina Faso’s junta leader, Lt. Col. Paul Henri Sandaogo Damiba, was sworn in as president Wednesday, less than a month after mutinous soldiers seized control of the West African country in a coup.

The move comes weeks after he led a coup that toppled the regime and promised to address the security chaos that helped topple the former president, Reuters reported.

The junta attributed its move to the former president’s failure to respond to attacks by militants that killed thousands and forced more than 1 million people to flee their homes in the West African country.

In a televised ceremony, Damiba swore an oath before the country’s top constitutional body to “preserve, respect, uphold and defend the Constitution”, the nation’s laws and a “fundamental act” of key decisions approved by the junta.

“As a nation, we have too much to win this war,” said Damiba, who appeared in military uniform.

He said he would reorganize the army to strengthen links between the intelligence service and field operations and make logistical support more flexible, while pledging to fight corruption.

The military coup in Burkina Faso followed similar moves in Mali, Guinea and Chad since 2020, raising fears of widespread coup fever among regional leaders.

E.M