President John Mahama has arrived in Ouagadougou ahead of his other colleagues to meet the leader of the military junta in Burkina Faso and ensure a handover to the transition process.
President Mahama was met at the airport by General Gilbert Diendere who was installed leader of the country after the September 17 coup. The two held brief discussions at the airport.
The coup derailed a delicate peace process in Burkina Faso, which had been preparing to head to polls on October 11 for a vote aimed at restoring democracy after last year’s overthrow of long time leader Blaise Compaore.
ECOWAS yesterday decided in Abuja that President Mahama, President Boni Yayi, President Faure Gnassigbe, President Mamadou Issoufou, President Muhammadu Buhari and President Macky Sall should engage the stakeholders and ensure a return to the transition process put in place following the events of October 2014.
The Government of Ghana had in an earlier statement signed by the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Hanna S. Tetteh, condemned the coup of September 17, noting that it violates with impunity “the internationally brokered process to promote the principle of entrenching democracy and constitutional governance in Burkina Faso.”
The statement also called on the people of Burkina Faso to remain calm and exercise restraint while urging the political stakeholders to embrace dialogue to ensure the protection and preservation of lives.
