Burkina Faso Junta Chief, Damiba Sworn In As President

Lieutenant-Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba has been sworn in as President of Burkina Faso.

Naija News reports that Damiba swore an oath on Wednesday (today) before the country’s top constitutional body.

This is coming barely a month after the country’s strongman led a coup to topple elected head of state Roch Marc Christian Kabore.

The 41-year-old on January 24 led disgruntled officers to force out Kabore following public anger over his handling of a bloody jihadist insurgency.

No foreign representatives, however, was present at the ceremony held today in a small room at the offices of the Constitutional Council.

Damiba, dressed in camouflage uniform and a red beret and a sash in the colours of Burkina’s national flag, swore at the televised event to “preserve, respect, uphold and defend the Constitution”, the nation’s laws and a “fundamental act” of key decisions approved by the junta.

The nation’s Constitutional Council had formally declared last week that Damiba was president, head of state and supreme commander of the armed forces.

It confirmed further that Damiba would be appointed to those roles for a transitional period, and be assisted by two vice presidents.

Meanwhile, the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, had in January suspended Burkina Faso.

Naija News reports that the suspension was in reaction to a coup in the country.

Recall that soldiers had detained the President of Burkina Faso, Roch Kabore. The development came after reports emerged that gunfire was heard around the President’s residence on Sunday night in the capital of Ouagadougou.

The government had denied in a publication that the military had taken overpower.