Timeline: Burkina Faso since January coup

The west African nation of Burkina Faso, where gunfire was heard around the presidential palace on Friday, has been in turmoil since a coup in January, the seventh since independence from France in 1960.

Here is a timeline of events:

– January 22, 2022: Soldiers revolt –

On January 22, police in the capital Ouagadougou clash with demonstrators at a banned protest over the government’s handling of the jihadist threat which has ravaged the country since 2015.

The following day, soldiers at several army barracks revolt.

On January 24, President Roch Marc Christian Kabore is arrested by mutinous soldiers after gunshots are heard near his private residence.

– January 24: Coup –

A group of officers go on television to announce that the Patriotic Movement for Preservation and Restoration (MPSR) — a junta led by Lieutenant-Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba — is in control.

The United Nations, France and west African nations all condemn the coup, with the regional Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) suspending Burkina Faso.

– January 31: AU suspends Burkina Faso –

France, whose troops have been helping counter the Islamist insurgency, says 60 “terrorists have been taken out” in joint operations with Burkina Faso troops between January 16 and 23, the day the coup began to brew.

On January 31, the African Union (AU) suspends Burkina Faso “until the restoration of constitutional order in the country”.

– February 16: Damiba president –

Coup leader Damiba is inaugurated as president on February 16.

The 41-year-old commander previously led the fight against jihadists in one of the worst-hit regions, and published a book last June questioning counter-insurgency strategy by west African armies.

On March 1, the junta signs a charter setting a three-year transition period before the country holds elections.

– March: Jihadist attacks resume –

From mid-March, brutal jihadist attacks resume, leaving hundreds dead. The most deadly attack claims 86 lives in a northern village, followed by three days of national mourning.

West African mediator Mahamadou Issoufou, a former president of Niger, says on a visit to Ouagadougou on June 19 that nearly half the national territory is out of the state’s control.

On the 21, Damiba meets the deposed Kabore for talks to try to “defuse” the political situation.

– July 3: Two years of transition –

On July 3, west African leaders agree to allow Burkina Faso two years to carry out a transition back to democratic civilian rule.

On the 7th, former Burkinabe president Blaise Compaore returns to Ouagadougou after being forced out by street protests in 2014.

On August 11, Burkina Faso allows Kabore to leave the country for the first time since his ouster, granting him permission to fly to the Middle East on medical grounds.

– September 30: Shots near presidential palace –

On September 30, shots are heard around Burkina Faso’s presidential palace and the headquarters of the military junta.

Several main roads in Ouagadougou are blocked by troops and state television is cut for several hours.

The government says the army is suffering an “internal crisis” and hopes to see a negotiated settlement.