from ISSOUF TRAORE in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso Bureau
OUAGADOUGOU, (CAJ News) – THE United States supports the suspension of Burkina Faso by the African Union (AU) and Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
Burkina Faso’s suspension from the 15-country regional political grouping as well as the economic union follows a coup on January 23.
The US Department of State welcomed the sanctions as in support of defense of democracy and the rule of law in Burkina Faso.
A department spokesperson said while sympathetic to the plight of the Burkinabe people and security forces, the US shared the concerns African leaders articulated regarding the actions of military officials in Burkina Faso.
Chief among this is the suspension of the constitution and the removal of President Marc Christian Kabore and dissolution of the National Assembly.
“While some elements of the constitution may have been restored, extra-constitutional seizures of power erode the legitimacy of governance and limit the ability of the United States and other international partners to help the country advance peace and security,” a spokesperson stated.
The US has underscored ECOWAS’s call for the release of Kaboré and other members of the government who are detained and for the return to constitutional order in Burkina Faso.
“We look forward to the reports from the missions to Burkina Faso of ECOWAS’s Committee of Chiefs of Defense Staff and the joint ECOWAS Ministerial Mission,” read a statement.
Burkina Faso is the third country after Mali and Guinea to be suspended by ECOWAS following coups in the past year-and-a-half.
A coup attempt was also reported in Guinea Bissau this week.
– CAJ News