French President Emmanuel Macron condemned on Tuesday what he called a “military coup” in Burkina Faso, a day after soldiers announced they had seized power in the West African country.

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Macron told reporters during a trip to central France that Paris agreed “clearly and as usual” with the Economic Community of West African States “in condemning this military coup”.

The French president stated that Burkina Faso President Roch Marc Christian Kabore “was elected twice by his people in democratic elections,” adding: “I was told that he is not in danger of being physically harmed.”

Macron said this development “is the latest in a series of military coups that are very worrying at a time when the priority in the region must be the fight against Islamic terrorism.”

The Economic Community of West African States, as well as Western countries and the United Nations, have condemned the seizure of power in Burkina Faso and called for the release of President Kabore.

Burkina Faso, where France was a former colonial power, is among five countries in the Sahel where French forces have been helping local military against an Islamist insurgency, although Macron announced plans last year to begin withdrawing French forces from the region.

On Monday, an officer in the Burkina Faso army announced the suspension of the constitution, the dissolution of the government and parliament, and the closure of the country’s borders. The military also announced their intention to return the country to a “constitutional system acceptable to all” within a “reasonable” time period.

Source: AFP + “Novosti”

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