Photo : Vincent Bado, Reuters
NIAS Area Studies
AFRICA MONITOR
Photo : Vincent Bado, Reuters
IN BRIEF
by Apoorva Sudhakar and Anu Maria Joseph
Burkina Faso: Army captain overthrows coup leader Damiba
On 30 September, army captain Ibrahim Traore declared the overthrow of Lt Col Paul-Henri Damiba who had led the military coup in January. Traore justified the decision claiming that Damiba was unsuccessful in addressing the Islamist insurgency in Burkina Faso. Traore further announced the closure of borders and suspension of political activities. The African Union and the Economic Community of West African States condemned the development, terming it unconstitutional. The development comes after 11 soldiers were killed in an attack on a convoy in the country's north on 26 September. (George Wright, “Burkina Faso unrest: Military officers remove leader Damiba," BBC, 30 September 2022, "Burkina Faso: Military officers remove President Damiba in a coup," Al Jazeera, 30 September 2022)
Ethiopia: At least six killed in airstrikes in Tigray
On 30 September, BBC reported, an aid worker said at least six people were killed in airstrikes in Ethiopia’s Tigray region. The TPLF has accused the Eritrean forces of carrying out the attack. The Eritrean government which is accused of fighting alongside the Ethiopian soldiers has not responded to the allegations. The Tigrayan authorities said air strikes were carried out “repeatedly” and destroyed many houses. The previous week, satellite images by a US company showed troops and heavy artillery were mobilizing along the border between Ethiopia and Eritrea. ("Fresh air strikes kill civilians in Ethiopia's Tigray," BBC, 30 September 2022)
Tanzania: East African court upholds Maasai eviction
On 30 September, a East African regional court dismissed the case by the Maasai community against the Tanzanian government evicting them from their ancestral land. The East African Court of Justice upheld the government's decision to protect 1,500 square kilometers of land in the Ngorongoro conservation area around Serengeti National Park. The court said the Maasai community failed to prove that the eviction took place outside the park and doesn’t have evidence of violence and brutality during the evictions. The government says that population growth among the Maasai community is disturbing the wildlife. ("East African court upholds controversial Maasai evictions," BBC, 30 September 2022)