West Africa Bloc Suspends Burkina Faso, Warns Against More Coups

Burkina Faso is third Ecowas nation to suffer coup since 2020
Coup leader focused on reclaiming territory from jihadists

A newspaper with a picture of Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba, in Ouagadougou.Photographer: Olympia de Maismont/AFP/Getty Images

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By Katarina Hoije, Ekow Dontoh, and Baudelaire Mieu

January 28, 2022 at 1:26 PM UTC

Updated on

January 28, 2022 at 7:39 PM UTC

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Burkina Faso’s neighbors suspended the West African country from their regional bloc following a coup that toppled the government of President Roch Marc Christian Kabore.

The suspension came a day after Burkina Faso’s new military leadership said it would focus on reclaiming territory from jihadists, having accused Kabore of mishandling a spiralling security crisis. It called for international support ahead of the meeting by leaders from the Economic Community of West African States.