Burkina Faso: Former Chief of Staff of the National Gendarmerie Arrested
In Burkina Faso, the former chief of staff of the national gendarmerie, Lieutenant-Colonel Evrard Somda, was arrested. According to witnesses, the former head of the gendarmerie was arrested at his home on Sunday, January 14 by armed men. For the moment, there has been no official communication about this arrest, nor about the reasons for it.
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Aerial view of Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. AFP - OLYMPIA DE MAISMONT
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According to Lieutenant Colonel Evrard Somda's relatives, it was "heavily" armed men who came to look for the former chief of staff of the Burkina Faso gendarmerie. His home, located in an upscale district of the capital, was surrounded, before he was taken to a destination that is currently "unknown".
« Tension has become permanent in the capital »
This questioning takes place in a tense context. Since Saturday 13 January, calls for mobilisation to block a project to destabilise the transition have been launched on social networks by supporters of the ruling junta. Some supporters even speak of an "assassination" plan against the president of the transition, Ibrahim Traoré, and his relatives. According to witnesses, several people were also arrested. But it is not yet known whether these arrests are linked to that of the former head of the gendarmerie. "Tension has become permanent in the capital," said a security source who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Dismissed from the head of the national gendarmerie in early October 2023 by Captain Ibrahim Traoré, public appearances by Lieutenant-Colonel Evrard Somda have been rare since the handover of the baton of command to his successor.
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- Burkina Faso
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- Ibrahim Traoré