On national television, the army captain announced that, in Burkina Faso, the military had again staged a coup d'état and deposed the military leader, Lt. Col. Paul-Henri Namibia. The new leader was Captain Ibrahim Traore, who cited Lt. Col. Damiba's inability to counter the Islamist insurgency as the reason for the coup.
According to bbc.com, he also announced that the country's borders are closed indefinitely, and political activities are suspended.
It should be recalled that Lt. Col. Damiba's group overthrew the elected government in January, citing failure to stop Islamist attacks, but his administration also failed to suppress the jihadists.
"Damiba's actions gradually convinced us that his ambitions deviated from what we had planned. That's why we decided to remove Damiba," said Traoren's statement.
A curfew was also announced from 21:00 to 05:00.
Lt. Col. Damiba's whereabouts are unknown.
The United States has stated that it is deeply concerned about the events in Burkina Faso and is encouraging its citizens to restrict movement in the country.
