Burkina Faso new junta chief Captain Ibrahim Traoré na 34-year-old.
E be di region youngest leader and di soldier wey don see battle wella tok say e bin no like im predecessor “unsuccessful strategies” against Islamic State and al-Qaeda militants.
E overthrow Lt Col Paul-Henri Damiba on 30 September, afta e accuse am say e fail to fulfil im promise to stop di Islamist insurgency wey don hold down Burkina Faso since 2015.
“I know say I young pass most of una for here. We no want wetin happun but we no get choice,” Capt Traoré tell goment officials.
Captain Traoré begin im military career for 2009 and serve for various contingents for Burkina Faso volatile eastern and northern theatres.
E dey among one group of sojas wey support Lt Col Damiba coup for 24 January against democratically elected President Marc Roch Kaboré.
Capt Traoré don fight wella for fight against jihadists for Mali.
E serve for one UN force for di northern Timbuktu region for 2018.
Di following year, e join for military operation wey dem codenamed “Otapuanu” for Burkina Faso east for seven months. E follow serve for one detachment of Markoye for di northern Sahel region and take part for several operations.
Captain Traoré study for local military academy, afta e join di army for 2009 and receive artillery training for Morocco.
Im bin chose military career afta e complete im schooling for Burkina Faso second city, Bobo-Dioulasso, as some tori dey describe am as “shy and reserved” but also “very intelligent”.
Now, di captain don dey di centre of international eye, and some pipo dey go as far dey differentiate between am and Burkina Faso famous revolutionary, Thomas Sankara.
‘No more red tape’
Burkina Faso new military leader don ask cabinet ministers to “move fast” to fix di kontri “urgent” problems, wey include insurgency by Islamist militants.
Lt Damiba wey e comot on Friday don formally gree to step down, na so religious and community leaders tok.
Dem tok say Capt Traoré don accept Lt Col Paul-Henri Damiba resignation and di conditions e set.
According to di goment tok-tok pesin, Damiba don go Togo.
Inside one recording wey spread well-well for social media, Lt Col Damiba say im wish Burkina Faso new leader evri success.
On Sunday, Capt Traore say di kontri dey face emergency for all sector “from security to defence, to health, to social action, to infrastructure”, and time don reach for goment to “abandon di unnecessary red tape”.
Im coup – di second in Burkina Faso na less dan nine months – e be di latest sign of di epidemic of coups wey UN chief António Guterres raise concern about for 2021.
Ahead ahead
“I know say France no go interfere directly for our affairs,” Capt Traoré tok, e add: “Di Americans be our partners now, [but] we fit have Russia as partner.”
Dem say Russian military contractors dey active for neigbhouring Mali afta French forces pull out afta one disagreement wit di kontri military leaders.
Rights groups dey accuse di Russia say dem commit abuses and dem massacre civilians, wey Russia don always dey deny.
Di head of Russian mercenary Wagner group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, don welcome di takeover for Burkina Faso.
Meanwhile, Russian goment on Monday tok say dem go “like di situation for Burkina Faso to return to normal as soon possible”.
Di African Union plus di regional group Economic Community of West African States don demand make dem return to constitutional order latest by July 2023, say di removal of leader Lt Col Damiba dey “unconstitutional”.
