Burkina junta meets political figures keen for transition role

Burkina Faso’s new military junta held talks yesterday with the Sahel country’s political party chiefs, many of whom said they were keen to join a planned transition back to democracy.Coup leader Lieutenant-Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba led the more than half-hour meeting at the presidential palace in the capital Ouagadougou.“Statements from the head of state go in the direction of restoring peace.We welcome it,” said Eddie Komboigo, who headed the opposition before last week’s upheaval.“He wants to move quickly and correctly,” he said of Damiba, calling on the international community to offer support “so he can succeed in his mission”. The junta held “very frank” discussions on Monday with negotiators from the UN and the Economic Community of West African States, (Ecowas), which has suspended Burkina for the January 24 takeover.Shirley Ayorkor Botchway, Ghana’s foreign minister, added: “They seemed very open to the suggestions and proposals that we made. For us it’s a good sign.”Alassane Bala Sakande, head of the former ruling party, the People’s Movement for Progress (MPP), and who led the parliament before the coup, was also at yesterday’s palace talks.He did not want to comment afterwards, saying he had been given permission to visit the overthrown president, Roch Marc Christian Kabore, who has been under house arrest.Some members of the Ecowas delegation had also visited the ousted president on Monday.Other opposition figures said they too were prepared to listen to proposals from the junta.“Our duty is to ensure he succeeds, and as politicians we need him to trust us,” said Alain Zoubga, a former close aide to ex-president Blaise Compaore, who was overthrown in a popular uprising in 2014.“They talked of their openness towards all those who can make a contribution, according to experience and expertise, not according to political party affiliation,” said Achille Tapsoba of the Congress for Democracy (CDP), Compaore’s old party.Ecowas leaders will hold a summit in Accra tomorrow to assess whether to impose sanctions on the junta.