“Pray for our dear country”, Catholic Priest in Burkina Faso Appeals amid Confirmed Coup

By Jude Atemanke

Ouagadougou, 24 January, 2022 / 9:35 pm (ACI Africa).

A Catholic Priest in Burkina Faso has appealed for prayers for the West African nation amid reports of a confirmed coup d’etat.

In a televised address Monday, January 24, Capt. Sidsoré Kader Ouedraogo who was flanked by some 13 military officers announced that President Roch Marc Christian Kaboré had been ousted “after steering a 36-hour uprising”, The Washington Post reported.

Capt. Ouedraogo also announced the suspension of the Burkina Faso’s Constitution, dissolution of the government, the closure of the country’s borders, and that President Kaboré and other politicians were being held in a safe place that “respects their dignity.”

“Gunfire was heard overnight near the presidential palace and at barracks in the capital, Ouagadougou,” BBC has reported in reference to the night of January 23-24, adding, the mutinying troops in Burkina Faso “have demanded the sacking of military chiefs and more resources to fight Islamist militants.”

In another BBC report, the military are quoted as citing the deteriorating security situation in the West African nation as the main reason for the military takeover.

In a Monday, January 24 interview with ACI Africa, Fr. Etienne Tandamba confirmed the detainment of President Kaboré and described the atmosphere in his country as uncertain, appealing for prayers for peace to return.

“The president has been taken by soldiers. There is an atmosphere of uncertainty here. We are waiting for an official announcement,” Fr. Tandamba told ACI Africa hours before the military’s televised address.

The member of the Clergy of Burkina Faso’s Fada N’Gourma Diocese added, “Please Pray for our dear country. At this critical moment we can only turn to God for His guidance and help.”

“In Fada N’Gourma people are going about their activities normally but the capital Ouagadougou has been very tense,” the Burkinabe Priest who is the Director of Communication of the Diocese of Fada N’Gourma Diocese told ACI Africa January 24.

He called on the people of God in Burkina Faso to remain “prudent and be on the alert.”

Burkina Faso together with the other eight countries that constitute the Sahel region have endured a resurgence of violence from extremists, “much of it carried out by jihadists linked to Al Qaeda and the Islamic State,” the New York Times has reported.

Known to have been one of West Africa’s most stable countries, Burkina Faso seems to have “been trapped in spiraling violence since jihadist groups claimed their first attacks, in 2015. Since then, the country has faced hundreds of attacks, some carried out by jihadist groups and others by local rebels,” the New York Times further indicated in the 5 June 2021 report.

Jude Atemanke is a Cameroonian journalist with a passion for Catholic Church communication. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from the University of Buea in Cameroon. Currently, Jude serves as a journalist for ACI Africa.