Reports indicate that the military leader of Burkina Faso Lt.Col. Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba recently met and held talks with the president whose administration he deposed in a coup in January.
Jean-Baptiste Ouedraogo and Roch Marc Christian Kaboré, both past presidents, traveled together and held talks with the West African nation’s military leader.
According to officials, the meeting demonstrated Lieutenant Colonel Paul-Henri Damiba’s desire for peace and covered the nation’s security condition.
The meeting is captured on camera, and it features handshakes and even a few grins as the military chief of Burkina Faso invites the former president to walk the red carpet at a location he is familiar with at the presidential palace.
According to a statement, former President Kaboré went there to talk about security-related matters and attempt to alleviate the political situation.
Lt Col Damiba claimed in January that former President Kaboré had been overthrown because he had failed to put an end to the attacks by Islamist fighters.
The violence has persisted despite a pledge to increase security.
A three-year transition period before elections has also been controversially announced by the military ruler.
Burkina Faso is embroiled in a cycle of violence, much of it attributed to insurgents associated with the Islamic State or Al-Qaeda, like Mali and the neighboring Niger.
Kabore has been blamed by the new government, led by junta commander Lieutenant Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba, for not doing enough to push back against armed militants groups. The new government has sworn to restore security.
The second deadliest attack in country history left more than 80 civilians dead earlier this month in the city of Seytenga in the north.