Burkina Faso junta lifts nationwide curfew in force since coup last month
February 3, 2022, 9:04 am

Burkina Faso junta lifts nationwide curfew in force since coup last month

Historical monument in Burkina Faso/Pixabay

The Arab News reported, according to the AFP, the military in Burkina Faso announced, junta lifted Wednesday a nationwide curfew they imposed after seizing power in a coup last month.

The restrictions were imposed on January 24 after mutinous soldiers arrested President Roch Marc Christian Kabore following a revolt at several army barracks in the capital over the handling of jihadist attacks in the Sahel nation.

Col. Paul-Henri Sandaogo said in a press release: “The President of the Patriotic Movement for Preservation and Restoration, President of Faso, Head of State, updates... the total lifting of the curfew measure as of this day, February 2.”

The junta said in a televised statement that the nation’s nightlife will not completely resume as “popular celebrations and festive events are prohibited after midnight from Monday to Thursday and after 2 am from Friday to Sunday."

The coup leaders said the measure was taken “in view of the security context and in solidarity with the victims of insecurity.”

Initially imposed from 9 p.m. to 5 pm, the national curfew was later reduced to midnight to 4 am before being lifted entirely.

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Like neighboring Mali and Niger, Burkina Faso has been caught up in a spiral of violence since 2015, attributed to jihadist groups affiliated to Al-Qaeda and the Daesh militant group.

The violence has killed more than 2,000 people and forced at least 1.5 million to flee their homes.

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Sandaogo also reshuffled the country’s military leadership, a change sought by soldiers in the January mutiny.

Former sports minister Colonel-Major David Kabre was appointed chief of the general staff of the armed forces, with Col. Adam Nere becoming chief of staff of the army.

Source: arabnews

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Upon arriving to participate in the summit of the European Political Community, which includes around forty heads of state in Budapest, he said, "I look forward to sitting with the elected U.S. president and seeing how we will collectively ensure we meet challenges, including the threats from Russia and North Korea." He also noted that the strengthening of ties between Russia and North Korea poses a threat to the United States as well, according to reports from Agence France-Presse.

Before Trump's victory, Rutte expressed confidence that a united Washington would remain part of the defensive alliance, even if Trump became the 47th president of the United States. In an interview with German public broadcaster ZDF last Monday night, he stated that both Republicans and Democrats understand that NATO serves not only the security of Europe but also that of America. He added that both candidates are aware that the security of the United States is closely tied to NATO.

On Wednesday, NATO congratulated Trump on his victory but did not address the Ukrainian issue.

It is noteworthy that the relationship between the elected U.S. president and the defense alliance was not the best during his first term in the White House. Trump criticized NATO member states multiple times and even hinted at withdrawing from the alliance unless they increased their financial contributions.

Additionally, the issue of the Russian-Ukrainian war is one of the matters that complicate relations between the two sides, especially since Trump has repeatedly stated that he can end this ongoing conflict, which began in 2022, quickly. He implied that he had a peace plan between Kyiv and Moscow, while his vice president, JD Vance, revealed aspects of that plan, which stipulated Ukraine's commitment not to join NATO, thereby sending reassuring signals to the Russians.

Furthermore, many NATO member states in Europe fear that Trump might halt military aid to Ukraine after he previously criticized the U.S. for pouring funds into supporting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.