Traoré appointed Burkina Faso’s president amid concerns he could ally with Russia – The North Africa Post

Captain Ibrahim Traoré was appointed president of Burkina Faso on Wednesday (5 October), less than a week after the latest coup that deposed Damiba amid growing violence in the Sahel.
The Sahel country plunged into political turmoil on 30 September after the second coup in less than nine months that saw a group of officers removing Lieutenant-Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba — who had seized power in January — due to his inability to deal with a worsening armed uprising, dissolving the transitional government and suspending the constitution. Traore has been appointed as “Head of State, Supreme Head of the Armed Forces”, according to an official statement that also said that the new president would now be the “guarantor of national independence, territorial integrity… and continuity of the State”.
Earlier this week, ECOWAS delegates visited Burkina Faso on a fact-finding trip. They met with traditional and religious leaders as well the new military ruler. Burkina Faso is currently fighting an escalating wave in violence attributed to rebel fighters allied both to al-Qaeda and ISIL (ISIS). This has resulted in hundreds of deaths and displacement of two million people. Protests against France which had colonized Burkina Faso previously followed the coup. Demonstrators also noticed Russian flags and this led to speculations that the new leader may seek closer ties with Moscow. The United States has warned the army of the risks of allying with Russia, saying they condemned “any attempt to exacerbate the current situation in Burkina Faso”.