Several symbols of the French presence in Burkina Faso still bear the scars of the September 30, 2022 putsch.
France said on Thursday it would observe with “the utmost neutrality” the holding of the national assembly, scheduled for October 14 and 15, 2022, in an email that the embassy based in Ouagadougou sent its compatriots.
“During the holding of the National Assembly, it is to be feared that there will be new protests or support for this or that faction or political party,” reads the note signed by the ambassador, Luc Hallade.
“We will observe this with the utmost attention and neutrality, in a process that concerns above all the Burkinabe themselves,” the diplomat insisted. Mr. Hallade invited his compatriots to limit their movements “to what is strictly necessary, to avoid any gathering and to remain attentive to the security messages.”
On September 30, October 1 and 2, 2022, the days of the coup against Lieutenant Colonel Paul-Henri Damiba, several signs of the Hexagone suffered the wrath of demonstrators, after a message from Captain Ibrahim Traoré, according to which the deposed president “would have taken refuge in the French military base of Kamboincé” on the outskirts of Ouagadougou. The French embassy, the French institutes in Ouagadougou and Bobo-Dioulasso and a sign of the Bolloré Group were ransacked.
In addition to the significant material damage, two French people were injured during the incident against the embassy, according to APAnews sources.
“Be assured of the full mobilization of the team of the Embassy and the Consulate General to ensure the safety of our community,” the ambassador reassured. He added that the French authorities are prepared for any eventuality and will react if necessary.
On October 6, elements of the Gendarmerie National Intervention Group (GIGN) arrived in Ouagadougou to support the soldiers on site to secure the French symbols, sources told APAnews.
At the beginning of October, soldiers overthrew Lieutenant Colonel Paul-Henri Damiba, who himself fell from Roch Kaboré in January 2022.
DS/ac/lb/abj/APA