“The European Union condemns the coup d’État in Burkina Faso which has led to the overthrow of an elected President, Roch Kaboré, and the suspension of the constitution and institutions by elements of the armed forces grouped under the ‘Patriotic Movement for Safeguard and Restoration’”, said the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, in a statement issued on behalf of the EU27 on Wednesday 26 January.
He reiterated the EU’s call for an immediate return to constitutional order, as he had done on 24 January when the situation was still uncertain (see EUROPE 12875/3). Since then, President Roch Marc Christian Kaboré, who was arrested on 23 January, is still being held by military forces, who have declared that they were taking power.
“The EU calls for calm and harmony among all actors and for the immediate release of all those illegally detained, starting with President Kaboré”, the statement said.
The High Representative has taken a hard line, warning that if constitutional order is not restored, “this will have immediate consequences for our partnership with the country”.
The EU deplores that dialogue has not prevailed, particularly in view of the national security and humanitarian situation in the country. At the same time, the High Representative stated that “the EU remains strongly committed to supporting Burkina Faso” and “expresses its solidarity with the entire Burkinabe people”.
In the European Parliament, concern is widespread. “We call for the immediate and unconditional release of President Roch Marc Christian Kaboré and any other members of his government in detention”, said David McAllister, Chair of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, Tomas Tobé, Chair of the Committee on Development, and Carlos Zorrinho, Chair of the Delegation to the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly, in a joint statement. They “strongly condemn the military coup”.
“We insist on an immediate return to a civilian-led government, to restore parliament, constitutional order and the Rule of law in Burkina Faso. We urge military leaders to return their forces to the barracks and protect the country’s institutions," the MEPs added.
The situation in Burkina Faso was discussed on Wednesday by the EU and the foreign ministers of the G5 Sahel countries (Burkina Faso, Niger, Mali, Mauritania and Chad) at a meeting of the permanent political dialogue, which was due to end on Wednesday evening with a statement by Mr Borrell but without a press conference.
It is Burkina Faso’s ambassador, Jacqueline Marie Zaba Nikiema, who represented her country at this EU-G5 ministerial meeting, the seventh since the creation of the G5 Sahel in 2014 - an important meeting, given the situation in that country and in Mali (see EUROPE 12876/9, 12875/2). EUROPE will continue to follow this story. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)