In
Burkina Faso,
US Warns Army
Against Taking
Advantage, UN
UNclear
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
October 31 --
After the
ouster in
Burkina Faso
of Blaise
Compaore's
27-year rule,
the US State
Department Spokesperson
on the evening
of October 31,
Halloween,
said:
"The
United States
is concerned
about the
unfolding
events in
Burkina
Faso. We
regret the
violence and
the loss of
life in
Burkina Faso
and call on
all parties to
avoid further
violence.
We reiterate
our call for
all parties to
follow the
constitutionally
mandated
process for
the transfer
of power and
holding of
democratic
elections
following the
resignation of
former
President
Blaise
Compaore.
We condemn any
attempts by
the military
or other
parties to
take advantage
of the
situation for
unconstitutional
gain and call
on all parties
to respect the
people’s
support for
the democratic
process."
Minutes
later the US
State
Department
issued a
travel alert
on "the risks
of travel to
or residing in
Burkina Faso
and recommends
U.S. citizens
defer all
non-essential
travel.
This Travel
Alert will
expire on
January 29,
2015. On
October 31,
Burkina Faso’s
President
Compaore
resigned.
The status of
a transitional
government
remains
unclear.
There are
incidents of
looting
throughout the
capital city
of
Ouagadougou,
Bobo-Dioulasso,
and other
parts of the
country."
For days the
UN's Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon has
been vaguely
calling for
calm. On
October 31 at
noon Inner
City Press
asked Ban's
spokesman
Stephane
Dujarric:
Inner
City Press:
the UN seems
to in peace
processes work
pretty closely
with Burkina
Faso. So
I wonder when,
if you can
maybe say,
when the
President
began to talk
about changing
term limits
and going
beyond his
current 27
years of rule,
did anyone in
the UN system
say, maybe
it's a bad
idea, maybe
it's time…
maybe your
Government is
too strong,
maybe it's
time for
somebody
else? Or
was it hands
off?
What was the
view of that?
Spokesman
Dujarric:
I think it's…
first of all,
I doubt that
there were any
consultations
by the
President and
the UN on what
his decisions
were, what the
parliament's
decision was
going to be,
you know, so I
think we're
trying to
imagine
conversations
that were not
had.
Inner
City Press:
What I'm
saying is, the
UN has
actively asked
the Burkina
authorities to
play a role in
a variety of
regional
conflicts; it
seems like
there are kind
of
discussions,
and also by
making that
request,
they're saying
that this
27-year person
is a…
Spokesman:
I think, you
know, Burkina
Faso has a
role to play
in the
regional… in
keeping
regional
peace. I
think every
country in any
region has
that role to
play.
Inner
City
Press:
What's Mr.
Chambas doing
there?
Spokesman:
He was sent by
the
Secretary-General.
He'll be
meeting with
key
stakeholders.
He arrived
this
morning.
Obviously, the
situation is
changing at a
very rapid
clip, and he
will be
talking with
key
stakeholders.
Ah, the UN.
Why
did the US -
and the UN
Secretariat --
support his 27
year rule,
while
criticizing
others?
Twenty
seven years
ago, Thomas
Sankara was
overthrown and
killed in a
coup led by
Blaise
Compaore.
It was
under Sankara
that the
country's name
change from
"Upper Volta"
to Burkina
Faso, land of
the upright.
History
records two
meetings of
Sankara and
France's
Francois
Mitterand. At
the Vittel
conference,
Mitterand
stared
stony-faced
ahead as
Sankara spoke
of seeking
foreign
relations with
countries
beyond France.
And
later, after
South African
apartheid
leader Pieter
Botha had
visited
France,
Sankara
criticized
Mitterand to
his face in
Ouagadougou,
after
Mitterand
drove through
the streets
waving at the
crowd. Soon
the Compaore
coup would
kill Sankara,
and France and
Boigny would
congratulate
Compaore. The
rest is
history.
And
new
colonies, too:
France has
laid claim to
the Democratic
Republic of
the Congo,
controlling
the Security
Council's
pen and most
recent trip
there, down
to which media
could go on the "UN" plane.
France
for over
sixteen years
has controlled
UN
Peacekeeping,
now through
Herve Ladsous,
twice spurned,
who refuses to
answer or even
take Press
questions.
What
would Thomas
Sankara say?
On this day,
and going
forward, we
must ask.
Watch this
site.
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