It was in 2014 that Blaise Compaore fled Burkina Faso. Now he is offering to comeback to the country to negotiate a peace deal with armed groups fighting the government. To an astute observer, this is not about making peace, rather Compore's attempt to return to power after five years in exile. He came to power in a coup in 1987, which resulted in the murder of Thomas Sankara. Now it appears he once more wants to seize power by extralegal means. This may not be the most successful plan, yet there is another alternative he is using. Writing a letter to President Roch Marc Christian Kabore he offered to help with reconciliation efforts among warring parties. President Kabore and hsi government have no intention of making peace with armed groups. Allegedly the Islamic State of the Greater Sahara is active in the country and other bordering states. This may explain terrorist attacks that have occurred recently in Burkina Faso. Dicko Oumar a Burkinabe politician, makes the statement that when Compaore was in power such problems did not exist. The challenge of removing a longtime leader is what happens afterwards. The negative effect of deposing authoritarian presidents is that instability and insurrection occur in a power struggle. Compaore has connections and negotiation skills which did allow for the release of hostages in Mali. So far, there is no plan for securing his return to Burkina Faso. Others want him to return for another reason. Some desire to see Blaise Compaore stand trial for his human rights abuses during his presidency. With elections only a year away and growing violence politicians are going to struggle to gain support of the citizens of Burkina Faso.
No comments:
Post a Comment