Hey, there was another coup in Burkina Faso

[warandwar]

*crickets chirp*

That's your reaction? "Who cares, it's Africa they have coup all the time. too bad so sad." Seriously?


From what I've heard, it's led by allies of Compaore, the Brutus to Sankara's Caesar. A counterrevolution to the on last year that overthrew Compaore after almost 30 years of his rule. The Burkinabe are totally sick of him, so hopefully they'll prevent the coup from succeeding.

[warandwar]

*crickets chirp*

That's your reaction? "Who cares, it's Africa they have coup all the time. too bad so sad." Seriously?


From what I've heard, it's led by allies of Compaore, the Brutus to Sankara's Caesar. A counterrevolution to the on last year that overthrew Compaore after almost 30 years of his rule. The Burkinabe are totally sick of him, so hopefully they'll prevent the coup from succeeding.

Oh I'm aware of the nature of the coup but they have become so rudimentary that my natural reaction is one of complete nonchalance.

Don't ever let indifference be your "natural reaction." Real people in a real place will have their lives be worse because of this. Just because it is in Africa doesn't mean it's right to ignore it.

I imagine there are some happy French businessmen right now.

[warandwar]

Compaore deserves credit for saving Burkina Faso back in the 1980s, but, like many historical figures, he stayed in power long enough to change from a hero to mediocre to a villain. Burkina Faso deserves a 2010s leader, not a 1980s leader.

what specifically do you mean by "saving"

[warandwar]

Isaac Zida and Michel Kafando, the leaders of the deposed interim government have been let out of detention. There's a ECOWAS meeting this Tuesday about the coup.

[warandwar]

The Presidents of Senegal and Benin have been meeting with the coup leader (the commander of the Presidential Guard), and it increasingly looks like the coup will fail, with power handed back to the civilian interim government. It appears that the coup is not supported by the rest of the armed forces, Compaore's favoritism towards the Presidential Guard has perhaps come back to haunt them.

They're having elections soon, aren't they? I hope a civilian leader can slowly dismantle the Presidential Guard (without being couped or killed) and reform things a bit.

A bit like how Aristide ended the military in Haiti.

[warandwar]

Wow, that was a quick coup, it lasted what, less than a week?

And the coup leaders never had control anywhere besides the capitol.