Hey, there was another coup in Burkina Faso

[Famous Mortimer]

That happened.

[BaconBacon96]

*crickets chirp*

[Simfan34]

Yes, yes there was. The old guard strikes back. Just before they were supposed to have elections, too.

[politicus]

Big demonstrations against the coup makers in the capital Ouagadougou. At least 3 death and 60 wounded.

http://allafrica.com/stories/201509180281.html

[politicus]

"Members of Burkina Faso's presidential guard have "dissolved" the country's cabinet and vowed to hold "inclusive elections". The announcement comes a day after soldiers seized the president and government leaders.

Lieutenant-Colonel Mamadou Bamba declared on national television on Thursday that a new "National Democratic Council" had ended "the deviant regime of transition."

Sigh..

[Simfan34]

This may very well still end up a failed coup.

[politicus]

This very well may still end up a failed coup.

Yeah, there is real and persistent resistance to it.

[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.

[Silent Hunter]

That happened.

Which actually puts it in the lead for coups in Africa - this is its seventh.

[BaconBacon96]

*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.

[Tetro Kornbluth]

That happened.

Which actually puts it in the lead for coups in Africa - this is its seventh.

Comoros laughs at you thinking that is a lot of coups.

[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.

[Zioneer]

Wasn't Compaore ousted last fall? Why'd it take them so long to enact the coup? Seems a bit long to wait, gives the transitional government a bit of legitimacy.

[Antonio the Sixth]

Aren't there French troops there? Are they just standing by as the coup is carried out?

[Vosem]

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.

[Cubby]

Unless they change the name back to Upper Volta, I'm not interested

Although a shorter name for the capital city would be nice.

Coups can occasionally turn out okay, Musharraf in Pakistan and the 2006 one in Thailand probably were an improvement, except for "muh......democracy."

[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"

[Antonio the Sixth]

"He who feeds you, controls you."

-- Thomas Sankara

[Famous Mortimer]

*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.

Yes, "inclusive" elections mean including Compaore, who of course was barred from running by the transitional government that overthrew him.

[Simfan34]

Although a shorter name for the capital city would be nice.

The name's transcription by the French obscures the fact that it is actually quite pronounceable: Wagadugu.

[Grand Wizard Lizard of the Klan]

Although a shorter name for the capital city would be nice.

The name's transcription by the French obscures the fact that it is actually quite pronounceable: Wagadugu.

Oh, thank you for the info.

[Simfan34]

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.

[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.

[Zioneer]

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.

[Simfan34]

And it now appears the army is staging a counter-coup to "disarm" the presidential guard: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-34318143

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