A day after the military coup in Burkina Faso, the French embassy in the West African country denied any involvement in the events. The deposed president, Lieutenant Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba, is neither in the diplomatic mission nor at a French military base, the embassy said on Saturday - and thus rejected an accusation from the new rulers. A representative of the junta had said on state television RTB that Damiba had found shelter at the base. He plans to fight back.

Eight months after the last coup, part of the military led by Captain Ibrahima Traoré staged another coup on Friday. Where Damiba is staying remained unclear. The new rulers accused him of not wanting to cooperate with "other partners" in the fight against terrorism. It's not clear who it was about.

According to an employee of the German Press Agency in the capital Ouagadougou, a small group of people took to the streets near the French base on Saturday. They asked the French soldiers to leave the country and assured their support for the putschist leader Traoré. Russian flags could also be seen here and there. Calls for a solidarity demonstration for Traoré were shared on social media, subtitled "Against Damiba and France".

The Burkinabe Army General Staff said negotiations are ongoing within the armed forces to defuse tensions. The EU, the African Union and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) regretted the renewed coup d'état and called for a return to the constitutional order to take place by July 2024 at the latest, as planned.

The security situation in the Sahel country with around 21 million inhabitants has recently deteriorated, which has increased the pressure on the previous interim government of Damiba.

Message from the French embassy Speech to the new military junta RTB FB page 1. Interview with the new junta, Radio Omega ECOWAS EU message