H.E. Paul Henri Sandaogo Damiba, President of Faso, Head of State, President of the Council of Ministers of Burkina Faso, addresses the general debate of the General Assembly’s seventy-seventh session at UN world headquarters Sept. 23, 2022 (Photo: UN photo/ Cia Pak)

By   Gary  Raynaldo   –  DIPLOMATIC  TIMES

Soldiers have deployed in the streets of Burkina Faso capital city Ouagadougou amid heavy gunfire reported early Friday sparking fears of a military coup. The situation is confusing with very little information released by the government of Burkina Faso as to what exactly is going on.  The chaos comes just days after 11 soldiers  died and 50 civilians are reported missing in Burkina Faso following a suspected jihadist attack.  On Friday, the military leadership was urging its citizens to remain calm. If true, this would be the second military coup in the past eight months to occur in the West African nation. The military, led by Lt Col Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba, took power in a January coup. The government reported Wednesday that a supply convoy escorted by the army travelling to the northern town of Djibo, was targeted in an ambush on Monday.  Many Burkina Faso citizens are reportedly weary of the non-stop deadly Islamist violence that President  Damiba vowed to eradicate upon taking control of the country.  Amid Friday’s unrest, State television ceased broadcasting. 

Western SAHEL Islamist Violence Surges Since 2019

Five Zones of Militant Islamist Violence in the Sahel / (Credit: The Africa  Center For Strategic Studies)

The western Sahel has seen a quadrupling in the number of militant Islamist group events since 2019, according to a  report released this week by The Africa  Center For Strategic Studies. The 2,800 violent events projected for 2022 represent a doubling in the past year, the ACSS reports.   

• Burkina Faso’s Oudalan district, which borders Mali and Niger, is projected to be the site of more than 175 violent events. For the second year in a row, Oudalan will suffer the highest concentration of violence in the Sahel, according to ACSS.

North Central Burkina Faso

According to  ACSS,  this zone of North Central Burkina Faso has experienced one of the most rapid escalations of violence in the Sahel. Militants from the Macina Liberation Front (FLM), part of the JNIM coalition, along with remnants of Ansaroul Islam, have pushed farther south into this more populated area of Burkina Faso (with nearly 3 million inhabitants).