Jubilant crowd celebrates coup in Burkina Faso

More than 1,000 people have gathered in the main square in Burkina Faso's capital, Ouagadougou, to celebrate Monday's coup, with some burning the French flag while others danced as live music was played, Reuters news agency reports. 

The burning of the French flag is the latest sign of the growing frustration about the former colonial power's military role in the region. 

France has troops in Burkina Faso and several other states in the region to help fight militant Islamists who have been wreaking havoc in the region. 

But its troop presence has proved to be controversial, as analyst Paul Melly explained in a recent BBC article.

The military in Burkina Faso said it had seized power because of President Roch Kaboré's failure to unite the nation and to deal effectively with the security crisis that "threatens the very foundations of our nation".

The military in neighbouring Mali gave similar reasons when it seized power in May 2021 - a coup that was broadly welcomed by the public despite being condemned internationally.

In Ouagadougou, some in the crowd also criticised the West African regional body Ecowas, which has takes a tough line against coups. 

"Ecowas doesn't care about us, and the international community only wants to condemn," demonstrator Armel Ouedraogo told Reuters.

This article originally appeared on BBC News

Photo: Reuters