2015 Burkinabe Coup D'état
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The 2015 Burkina Faso coup attempt was a failed coup d'état launched on 16 September 2015 in
Burkina Faso Burkina Faso is a landlocked country in West Africa, bordered by Mali to the northwest, Niger to the northeast, Benin to the southeast, Togo and Ghana to the south, and Ivory Coast to the southwest. It covers an area of 274,223 km2 (105,87 ...
, when members of the
Regiment of Presidential Security The Presidential Security Regiment (, RSP) was an elite Praetorian Guard, praetorian guard unit responsible for the security and protection of the List of heads of state of Burkina Faso, President of Burkina Faso. It was an independent branch and ...
(RSP) – a controversial autonomous military unit, formed under Dictator Blaise Compaoré – detained the country's government. Among those detained were the transitional President Michel Kafando, Prime Minister Yacouba Isaac Zida (who was also the former deputy commander of the RSP), and numerous members of the cabinet. This transitional government was formed in the wake of the
2014 Burkinabé uprising Fourteen or 14 may refer to: * 14 (number), the natural number following 13 and preceding 15 * one of the years 14 BC, AD 14, 1914, 2014 Music * 14th (band), a British electronic music duo * ''14'' (David Garrett album), 2013 *''14'', an un ...
, when a popular movement overthrew the long-time Dictator Compaoré, who himself had come to power in a 1987 coup against the left-wing leader Thomas Sankara. New
general elections A general election is an electoral process to choose most or all members of a governing body at the same time. They are distinct from by-elections, which fill individual seats that have become vacant between general elections. General elections ...
were planned for 11 October 2015. The RSP was successful in seizing control of
Ouagadougou Ouagadougou or Wagadugu (, , , ) is the capital city of Burkina Faso, and the administrative, communications, cultural and economic centre of the nation. It is also the List of cities in Burkina Faso#Largest cities, country's largest city, wi ...
and proclaimed the establishment of a new junta, headed by General Gilbert Diendéré, to oversee the transition to new elections. The coup leaders denounced the transitional government's electoral law, which barred supporters of Compaoré from participating in the elections, and promised to allow all prospective candidates to run. However, the junta failed to consolidate its authority across the country, and faced protests as well as intense pressure from regional leaders, and eventually from the regular army, to restore the transitional government. Ultimately, after the regular army entered Ouagadougou to confront the RSP, Kafando was restored as president on 23 September 2015.


Background

In the days immediately prior to the coup, the
Regiment of Presidential Security The Presidential Security Regiment (, RSP) was an elite Praetorian Guard, praetorian guard unit responsible for the security and protection of the List of heads of state of Burkina Faso, President of Burkina Faso. It was an independent branch and ...
(which has previously been involved in several alleged coup d'état attempts during the Compaoré administration) had come under intense public scrutiny. On 14 September 2015, it was reported that a commission charged with proposing post-uprising reforms had come to the conclusion that the RSP should be dismantled and its members redeployed. The report, submitted to Prime Minister Zida, described the RSP as "an army within an army".


The coup

While one senior military source stated that the soldiers that apprehended the government members had made no demands, a civil society activist reported that they had demanded the resignation of transitional President Kafando. Chérif Sy, President of the National Transitional Council, soon published a statement saying that dialogue was under-way between the military leadership and the "elements of the RSP" responsible for the coup, and noted that the country was in danger. '' Le Balai Citoyen'', a grassroots Sankarist movement heavily involved in the 2014 uprising, called for the inhabitants of
Ouagadougou Ouagadougou or Wagadugu (, , , ) is the capital city of Burkina Faso, and the administrative, communications, cultural and economic centre of the nation. It is also the List of cities in Burkina Faso#Largest cities, country's largest city, wi ...
to gather on the Revolution Square to protest the events. After hundreds of protesters assembled outside of the presidential palace, soldiers fired warning shots to disperse them. They retreated, but did not disperse. Some were beaten back using batons, and gunfire was reported in the Ouaga 2000 neighborhood. Slogans such as "Down with the RSP" and "We want elections" were chanted by the protesters. The private station Radio Omega reported having been forcibly shut down by the
Regiment of Presidential Security The Presidential Security Regiment (, RSP) was an elite Praetorian Guard, praetorian guard unit responsible for the security and protection of the List of heads of state of Burkina Faso, President of Burkina Faso. It was an independent branch and ...
, and several other radio stations also went off air. In response to the coup, about 20 French soldiers from an intelligence gathering unit were deployed to Ouagadougou. Several international organizations condemned the events, with the United Nations,
African Union The African Union (AU) is a continental union of 55 member states located on the continent of Africa. The AU was announced in the Sirte Declaration in Sirte, Libya, on 9 September 1999, calling for the establishment of the African Union. The b ...
and
Economic Community of West African States The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS; also known as CEDEAO in French and Portuguese) is a regional political and economic union of twelve countries of West Africa. Collectively, the present and former members comprise an area ...
(ECOWAS) calling for those detained to be released, and voicing support for the country's democratic transition. On 17 September 2015, the coup leaders announced that they were dismissing Kafando, dissolving the government and the transitional legislature, and setting up a new transitional body, the National Council for Democracy ( – CND), to lead the country to "inclusive and peaceful elections". In their proclamation of the CND, they denounced the transitional authorities for their allegedly undemocratic electoral law, which barred anyone who supported a 2014 proposal to eliminate term limits from standing in the October 2015 election, and for ignoring the recommendations of ECOWAS to scrap the exclusionary law. General Gilbert Diendéré was appointed chairman of the council. Later in the day, Diendéré said that Compaoré had nothing to do with the coup and that the coup was supported by the rest of the
army An army, ground force or land force is an armed force that fights primarily on land. In the broadest sense, it is the land-based military branch, service branch or armed service of a nation or country. It may also include aviation assets by ...
. He called for calm "so that we can continue on the path to inclusive and democratic elections" and appealed to the international community: "We know a coup is never accepted by the international community, but we ask it to understand the purpose of our action. We are committed to dialogue and accept certain principles of the international community." He stressed that he had no interest in politics and was only getting involved due to the "special situation", and he said that power would be returned to civilians "as soon as conditions are there". In other comments, he said that presidential and parliamentary elections would be held on a new timetable, which would be determined through consultations with "the concerned actors, notably the political parties and civil society organisations". He also promised that the exclusionary electoral law would be changed so that all political forces could participate. On 18 September 2015, Diendéré said that Kafando had been released and Zida was under house arrest. The country's borders, which had been closed after the coup, were reopened. On the same day, the African Union suspended Burkina Faso and placed sanctions on the coup leaders. Two regional leaders—
Macky Sall Macky Sall (, , ; born 11 December 1961) is a Senegalese politician who served as the fourth president of Senegal from 2012 to 2024. He previously served as the eighth Prime Minister of Senegal, prime minister from 2004 to 2007, under President ...
, the President of
Senegal Senegal, officially the Republic of Senegal, is the westernmost country in West Africa, situated on the Atlantic Ocean coastline. It borders Mauritania to Mauritania–Senegal border, the north, Mali to Mali–Senegal border, the east, Guinea t ...
and Chairman of ECOWAS, and Boni Yayi, the President of
Benin Benin, officially the Republic of Benin, is a country in West Africa. It was formerly known as Dahomey. It is bordered by Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east, Burkina Faso to the north-west, and Niger to the north-east. The majority of its po ...
—travelled to Ouagadougou to hold talks with Diendéré. Following further talks on 19 September, Boni Yayi said that "good news" would be announced the next day. On 20 September, supporters of the coup violently burst into the lobby of the hotel where the talks were being held. Later in the day, a draft agreement was announced that would involve allowing the previously excluded candidates to participate in the election, thereby granting one of the CND's key demands. It granted amnesty to those who participated in the coup and required the release of those who were detained by the CND. It also allowed a delay in the holding of the election, but required that it be held by 22 November. The two sides appeared to still disagree about who would lead the transition: the draft agreement called for restoring Kafando as president, but the CND insisted that Diendéré should continue in his post for the remainder of the transitional period.


Resistance and failure of the coup

The CND never clearly established its authority beyond Ouagadougou, and on 21 September army leaders announced that soldiers from the regular army were marching towards the capital to put an end to the coup. Diendéré announced plans to release Zida as a conciliatory gesture. Facing the prospect of a confrontation with the regular army as well as ongoing street protests by opponents of the coup, who felt that the proposed terms offered too many concessions to the coup leaders, Diendéré said that the CND would abide by the draft agreement's provision for the return of civilian rule. He said that the crisis could lead to "chaos, civil war, and massive human rights violations" if not resolved peacefully. The military chief of staff, Brigadier General Pingrenoma Zagré, called on members of the RSP to lay down their arms, promising in a statement that they would not be harmed if they surrendered peacefully. In
Bobo-Dioulasso Bobo-Dioulasso ( , ) is a city in Burkina Faso with a population of 1,129,000 (); it is the second-largest city in the country, after Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso's capital. The name means "home of the Bobo- Dioula". The local Bobo-speaking pop ...
, people reported seeing regular army soldiers en route to Ouagadougou, and people in
Koudougou Koudougou () is a city in Burkina Faso's Boulkiemdé Province. It is located west of Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso. With a population of 160,239 (2019), it is the List of cities in Burkina Faso, third most populous city in Burkina F ...
showed support for the soldiers passing through. Soldiers from the regular army entered Ouagadougou later on 21 September, facing no resistance from the RSP. Although the CND had previously announced Kafando's release, he was believed to remain under house arrest until 21 September, when he was reported to have arrived at the residence of the French ambassador. The army reportedly began negotiating with the RSP after reaching Ouagadougou. Speaking to the
BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
, Diendéré said that Kafando would be restored as president when the draft agreement was formally approved by ECOWAS. He dismissed the possibility of surrender, saying that the CND wanted "to continue the discussions" and was "ready to implement ECOWAS' decisions." The regular army issued an ultimatum to the RSP to surrender by the morning of 22 September. Diendéré warned that the RSP would defend itself if necessary but stressed that he wanted a peaceful resolution.Patrick Fort and Romaric Ollo Hien
"Burkina coup leaders sign deal with army to stand down"
Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse (; AFP) is a French international news agency headquartered in Paris, France. Founded in 1835 as Havas, it is the world's oldest news agency. With 2,400 employees of 100 nationalities, AFP has an editorial presence in 260 c ...
(AFP), 22 September 2015.
The army's deadline for the RSP to surrender passed without fighting as negotiations continued between the two sides. Later in the day on 22 September, they reached a deal: the RSP would withdraw to its barracks and the regular army would withdraw from the city, and the army promised that members of the RSP would not be harmed. ECOWAS leaders planned to travel to Ouagadougou on 23 September for Kafando's restoration as president. Kafando was reinstalled as president at a ceremony on 23 September in the presence of ECOWAS leaders. Isaac Zida also returned to his post as Prime Minister. Zida said that he foresaw a delay of "several weeks" in the holding of the election. For his part, Diendéré said that the coup was a mistake and that "we knew the people were not in favour of it. That is why we have given up."


Aftermath

Eleven people died, and more than 250 were injured during the coup. In the first cabinet meeting afterwards, held on 25 September, the Minister of Security was dismissed and the position of head of the president's military council was abolished. A commission was created to identify those involved in the coup and given thirty days to report. The President of
Guinea Guinea, officially the Republic of Guinea, is a coastal country in West Africa. It borders the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Guinea-Bissau to the northwest, Senegal to the north, Mali to the northeast, Côte d'Ivoire to the southeast, and Sier ...
, Alpha Condé, called it the "stupidest coup in the world". On 25 September the Regiment of Presidential Security was disbanded by government decree, as recommended shortly before the coup. On 26 September the assets of Diendéré and others associated with the coup were frozen by the state prosecutor. On 28 September, the army chief of staff accused the RSP of failing to comply with the disarmament ordered by the government. Each side accused the other of acting belligerently during the process. Diendéré downplayed the tensions and said the process would continue. However, he said that RSP members needed their weapons for their own security, arguing that the government had failed to honor the guarantees for their safety. The army surrounded the RSP base in the Ouaga 2000 neighborhood of Ouagadougou on 29 September and attacked it, seizing control of the base "without much resistance". Diendéré said that he had tried to get his troops to disarm before the army's assault, but many of them refused to do so. Diendéré apparently fled to the
Vatican Vatican may refer to: Geography * Vatican City, an independent city-state surrounded by Rome, Italy * Vatican Hill, in Rome, namesake of Vatican City * Ager Vaticanus, an alluvial plain in Rome * Vatican, an unincorporated community in the ...
embassy. After the government assured the Vatican that Diendéré would not be killed, he was turned over and taken into custody by the government on 1 October, escorted by former President Jean-Baptiste Ouédraogo. Diendéré and Djibril Bassolé, who served as Minister of Foreign Affairs until Compaoré's ouster, were charged with a variety of crimes on 6 October: murder, attacking state security, collusion with foreign forces to destabilise internal security, causing intentional injury, and intentional destruction of property. Bassolé, whose attempt to stand as a presidential candidate was rejected by the transitional authorities, had previously been arrested for alleged complicity in the coup, although he insisted he was innocent. Two other politicians were also arrested late on 5 October: Léonce Koné of the Congress for Democracy and Progress (CDP) and Hermann Yaméogo of the National Union for Democracy and Development. Colonel Sidi Paré, who had served under the transitional government as Minister-Delegate for Security, was reportedly arrested on 6 October."Pro-Compaore politician arrested in Burkina over failed coup"
Agence France-Presse, 8 October 2015.
Members of the RSP were reassigned elsewhere in the military following the RSP's dissolution, and the government announced on 7 October that about 30 members of the RSP, out of a total of about 1,300, had not showed up for their new assignments. They were therefore "presumed guilty" and deemed "at large". Another politician, CDP Vice-President Achille Tapsoba, was arrested on 8 October. Colonel Sita Sangare, the Director of Military Justice, stated on 16 October that 23 people had been charged with various crimes in connection with the coup. Diendéré was charged with 11 crimes, including "
crimes against humanity Crimes against humanity are certain serious crimes committed as part of a large-scale attack against civilians. Unlike war crimes, crimes against humanity can be committed during both peace and war and against a state's own nationals as well as ...
", and Bassolé was charged with six. Sangare said that defendants convicted of murder could potentially be executed. He also said that Fatou Diendéré, a CDP politician married to General Diendéré, would face trial as well if she was found, although she was thought to have left the country. CDP President Eddie Komboïgo—who, like Bassolé, had been barred from standing as a presidential candidate—stayed in the United States after the failure of the coup, but he was arrested on 22 January 2016 upon returning to Burkina Faso. Komboïgo and Diendéré's daughter-in-law Fatoumata Thérèse Diawara were released on 30 May 2016, although the charges against them remained in place. Léonce Koné, the last CDP leader still being held, was granted provisional release on 20 July 2016. In December 2024, the government declared an amnesty for people convicted for participating in the coup attempt.


See also

* 2016 Burkinabé coup d'état attempt *
History of Burkina Faso The history of Burkina Faso includes the history of various kingdoms within the country, such as the Mossi kingdoms, as well as the later French colonisation of the territory and its independence as the Republic of Upper Volta in 1960. Anci ...


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:2015 Burkinabe coup d'etat
Burkina Faso Burkina Faso is a landlocked country in West Africa, bordered by Mali to the northwest, Niger to the northeast, Benin to the southeast, Togo and Ghana to the south, and Ivory Coast to the southwest. It covers an area of 274,223 km2 (105,87 ...
2015 in Burkina Faso Attempted coups d'état in Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso Burkina Faso is a landlocked country in West Africa, bordered by Mali to the northwest, Niger to the northeast, Benin to the southeast, Togo and Ghana to the south, and Ivory Coast to the southwest. It covers an area of 274,223 km2 (105,87 ...
September 2015 in Africa