Big blow to progress in Burkina Faso after military coup

The soldiers, who are members of the presidential security regiment of ousted President Blaise Compaore, on Wednesday detained Kafando, his Prime Minister Isaac Zida and several government ministers. Kafando and Zida were in a cabinet meeting to negotiate the terms of their dissolution. A Reform and Reconciliation Commission report had recommended that the presidential security regiment be disbanded due to their ties to Compaore.

Lieutenant-Colonel Mamadou Bamba appeared on national television and declared that a new "National Democratic Council" had put an end to "the deviant regime of transition" in the west African state. Bamba said the interim president had been stripped of his powers.

James Amedeker is a local political commentator based in the capital Ouagadougou and spoke to DW about the country's new democratic path.

DW: Has it been made clear who is behind these several attacks on the life of the interim president?

James Amedeker: We know it’s the presidential security regiment who are certainly dissatisfied with the recommendation of the truth and reconciliation report, which recommends that the presidential security regiment of former President Blaise Compaore be dismantled. We believe that is the real cause for this movement.

How big a blow would you say this is to the democratic path of Burkina Faso?

Eventually if it prevents the holding of elections, then it is a very big blow not only for Burkina Faso but for the entire sub region.

How much impact do you think this would have on the up-coming elections due on October 11?

If this movement is anything to go by, it's really going to pull the whole transitional process backward. In fact, it is going to cost the country a lot of money to reorganize itself again. Yesterday I learned that the youths of this country who were able to mobilize themselves to chase out the former president have started mobilizing again. We've got news from Bobo-Dioulasso and other towns that people were mobilizing to walk again to the presidential palace to deal with the former presidential security regiment.

Interview: Abu-Bakarr Jalloh

James Amedeker is a Burkinabe political commentator based in the capital Ouagadougou.