On Monday, January 24, Burkinabé President Marc Kaboré was ousted from power by a military coup that calls into question the presidential and democratic regime in place since 2015. The soldiers took power, dissolved the government, the assembly national and suspended the constitution while the land and air borders were closed for a time During a televised address, Lieutenant-Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba was proclaimed president of the Patriotic Movement for Safeguarding and Restoration (MPSR) which now holds power.
The events of the last few days in Burkina are in line with what the neighboring countries of Mali and Guinea have experienced with a seizure of power by the military. This situation is the consequence of growing insecurity in West African countries weakened by the advance of terrorism, while the population criticizes the civil regime for not making sufficient efforts to reduce this insecurity. To date, more than 1.5 million people have had to flee their communities in Burkina to seek refuge in a safer part of the country. For many Burkinabés, the military solution appears to be the last hope of restoring confidence and overcoming adversity/resolving the situation.
In Burkina, life seems to have resumed its normal course according to the testimony of our teams, but it is still too early to draw conclusions and know the consequences of this change of regime. Faithful to its principle of neutrality, Morija does not take a position on this political change but wishes to continue its action by remaining focused on supporting the most disadvantaged while experience shows that extremist groups use these troubled situations to target more civilians and the weakest. We remain more than ever by their side.
