BURKINA Faso junta leader Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba, whom army officers claimed to have ousted, urged the coup plotters to “come to their senses” yesterday.

In a statement published on the official Facebook page of the presidency, Damiba urged his rivals “to come to their senses to avoid a fratricidal war that Burkina Faso doesn’t need”.

The army officers who claimed to have seized power in Burkina Faso on Friday said in televised comments on Saturday that Damiba was planning a counteroffensive from a “French base”.

In his statement, Damiba denied taking refuge in the French base in Kamboinsin, calling the claim an attempt “to manipulate opinion”.

Damiba himself came to power in a coup in January.

He had installed himself as leader of the country of 16 million after accusing elected president Roch Marc Christian Kabore of failing to beat back jihadist fighters.

Yesterday’s statement on Facebook was the first by Damiba since the claims that he had been ousted.

Just before 8pm on Friday, more than a dozen soldiers in fatigues appeared on the state television to announce his removal from power.

They proclaimed that 34-year-old Capt Ibrahim Traore had been placed in charge, but after a quiet night and morning, the situation had become tense again in the Burkinabe capital by midday yesterday.

The Burkinabe army then dismissed an announcement of a fresh coup, speaking instead of an “internal crisis” within the military. – AFP, October 2, 2022.