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Jan 24, 2022, 9 tweets

Burkina Faso's army said it had ousted President Roch Kabore, suspended the constitution, dissolved the government and the national assembly, and closed the borders reut.rs/3nTid4f

The announcement cited the deterioration of the security situation and what the army described as Kabore's inability to unite the West African nation and effectively respond to challenges, which include an Islamist insurgency reut.rs/3H0W5Mz

It also said the takeover was carried out without violence and that those detained were at a secure location reut.rs/3H0W5Mz

The statement was made in the name of a previously unheard-of entity, the Patriotic Movement for Safeguard and Restoration, or MPSR, its French-language acronym reut.rs/3H0W5Mz

The MPSR said it would propose a calendar for a return to constitutional order 'within a reasonable time frame, after consultations with various sections of the nation' reut.rs/3H0W5Mz

The U.S. State Department called for Kabore's release, adding it was 'too soon' to officially characterize developments in the West African country, when asked if Washington was undertaking a coup assessment reut.rs/3qXjER5

Army putsches have toppled governments over the past 18 months in Mali and Guinea. The military also took over in Chad last year after President Idriss Deby died fighting rebels on the battlefield in the country's north reut.rs/3GXYHL7

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres 'strongly condemns any attempted takeover of government by the force of arms' in Burkina Faso and calls on the coup leaders to lay down their weapons, a U.N. spokesman said after the army statement reut.rs/3H0W5Mz

The broadcast came after two days of confusion and fear in Ouagadougou, the capital, where shooting erupted at army camps on Sunday, with soldiers demanding more resources for their fight against Islamist militants reut.rs/3H0W5Mz

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