Menu
Latest
Menu
Latest
News

Kaboare allowed to return home after pressure from African leaders

8 April 2022

Burkina Faso’s former President Roch Christian Kaboré, overthrown in a coup on the 24th of January and under house arrest since then, has been allowed to return to his home in Ouagadougou, according to the interim government.

While the transitional authorities assure that measures are being taken to ensure his transfer, the statement does not specify whether the former president will be free in his movements.

In a statement issued by Burkina Faso on Wednesday evening, 7 April, the government said that the transfer was the result of consultations initiated three weeks ago with Roch Kaboré.

Last month, several West African leaders had lobbied Ouagadougou for the release of the former president. For instance, ECOWAS - the Economic Community of West African States - asked the Burkinabe military government to release the former president "unconditionally and without delay".

The UN and the African Union had also expressed their dissatisfaction with the increasingly harsh conditions of Kaboré's detention under house arrest.

A delegation from the African Union was in the Burkina’s capital at the end of last week to discuss the issue and the transition timetable with the government.

The two-times democratically elected President Kaboré was overthrown on 24 January by a military junta led by Colonel Paul-Henri Damiba, unable to stem the jihadist violence that has plagued Burkina Faso since 2015. He was then placed under house arrest in conditions which, according to his party MPP - People's Movement for Progress - amounted to detention.

After the coup of 24 January 2022 - the fourth in West Africa in less than 18 months - the leader of the rebellion Paul-Henri Damiba signed a charter guaranteeing elections in 36 months.

ECOWAS’ committee chairman, Jean-Claude Kassi Brou, also urged the Burkinabe military junta to shorten its proposed 36-month transition to a "more acceptable timeframe". Further sanctions would be adopted if Burkina Faso did not release former President Roch Marc Kaboré by 31 March 2022.

The supranational organisation specified in its communiqué that in case of non-compliance with its demands, members of the transitional authorities of Burkina Faso will be subject to "individual sanctions".

Sources: CommonSpace.eu with RFI (Paris), Al Jazeera (Doha) and Le Monde (Paris)
Picture: Burkina Faso's former President Roch Marc Christian at the Elysee Palace in Paris in November 2021 ; Twitter: @danwibg

Related articles

Editor's choice
News
Uzbekistan calls for bigger voice for Central Asia in the UN
Trending

Uzbekistan calls for bigger voice for Central Asia in the UN

26 September 2026
Uzbekistan called for a more effective and representative United Nations on September 23, as presidential administration chief Saida Mirziyoyeva used her address to the UN General Assembly to seek support for the country’s candidacy for a nonpermanent Security Council seat in 2035–2036. Speaking at the Assembly’s 81st session in New York, Mirziyoyeva argued that international cooperation remains necessary despite growing geopolitical divisions. She endorsed UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ UN80 reform initiative and called for an expanded Security Council, arguing that international rules should be applied consistently rather than according to the interests of powerful states. Uzbekistan’s planned chairmanship of the Non-Aligned Movement in 2027 was presented as another platform for promoting dialogue. Her emphasis on multilateralism also fits a broader Central Asian effort to increase the region’s role in international institutions. Kyrgyzstan, for example, will hold its first Security Council seat in 2027–2028. Mirziyoyeva also highlighted regional cooperation, pointing to improved relations among Central Asian states over longstanding border and water disputes. On Afghanistan, she urged countries not to view it solely as a security threat, stressing the importance of creating conditions for peaceful development. She linked Uzbekistan’s international agenda to domestic reforms, citing economic growth, falling poverty and expanded education. Climate and water security also featured prominently, with the Aral Sea serving as an example of the consequences of poor environmental management. (click image to read more)
Editor's choice
News
Kazakhstan declares national day of mourning after tragedy
Trending

Kazakhstan declares national day of mourning after tragedy

25 September 2026
Kazakh president, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, declared September 25 a national day of mourning following the deaths of servicemen during military exercises in the Caspian Sea. Twelve Kazakh servicemen died after being swept into the Caspian Sea during the Khazar Qorgany–2026 naval exercises in the Mangystau region on Thursday (September 24). The incident occurred after weather conditions suddenly deteriorated and winds intensified during a combat training mission. In a Telegram post, the Ministry of Defence reported that 19 servicemen had been swept into the sea. So far, three have been rescued, one of whom was hospitalized, while 12 bodies have been recovered.  Search operations were continuing for the remaining four servicemen. A large-scale rescue and recovery effort has been launched, involving Kazakhstan’s Naval Forces, the Ministry of Emergency Situations, aviation assets and other relevant services.   Deputy Prime Minister Kanat Bozumbayev, who is leading a government commission at the scene, ordered a continuous, round-the-clock search for those still missing. Authorities were also instructed to provide financial and other assistance to the families of the deceased. (click image to read in full)

Popular

Editor's choice
Interview
Thursday Interview: Murad Muradov
Trending

Thursday Interview: Murad Muradov

15 January 2026
Today, commonspace.eu starts a new regular weekly series. THURSDAY INTERVIEW, conducted by Lauri Nikulainen, will host  persons who are thinkers, opinion shapers, and implementors in their countries and spheres. We start the series with an interview with Murad Muradov, a leading person in Azerbaijan's think tank community. He is also the first co-chair of the Action Committee for a new Armenian-Azerbaijani Dialogue. Last September he made history by being the first Azerbaijani civil society activist to visit Armenia after the 44 day war, and the start of the peace process. Speaking about this visit Murad Muradov said: "My experience was largely positive. My negative expectations luckily didn’t play out. The discussions were respectful, the panel format bringing together experts from Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Turkey was particularly valuable during the NATO Rose-Roth Seminar in Yerevan, and media coverage, while varied in tone, remained largely constructive. Some media outlets though attempted to represent me as more of a government mouthpiece than an independent expert, which was totally misleading.  Overall, I see these initiatives as important steps in rebuilding trust and normalising professional engagement. The fact that soon a larger Azerbaijani civil society visits to Armenia followed, reinforces the sense that this process is moving in the right direction." (click the image to read the interview in full)
Murad Muradov
Lauri Nikulainen interviews Murad Muradov