In Burkina Faso, the former chief of staff of the national gendarmerie, Lieutenant-Colonel Evrard Somda, was arrested. According to witnesses, the former boss of the gendarmerie was arrested at his home on Sunday January 14 by armed men. For the moment, no official communication on this arrest, nor on its reasons.
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According to those close to Lieutenant-Colonel Evrard Somda, these are men “ heavily » armed men who came to look for the former chief of staff of the gendarmerie of Burkina Faso. His home, located in an upscale district of the capital, was surrounded, before he was taken to a destination which is currently ” unknown “.
“ Tension has become permanent in the capital »
This arrest comes in a tense context. Since Saturday January 13, calls for mobilization to block a project to destabilize the transition have been launched on social networks by supporters of the ruling junta. Some supporters even speak of a project “ of assassination » against the president of the transition Ibrahim Traoré and his relatives. According to witnesses, several people were also arrested. But we do not yet know if these arrests are linked to that of the former boss of the gendarmerie. “ Tension has become permanent in the capital », confides a security source on condition of anonymity.
Disembarked from the head of the national gendarmerie at the beginning of October 2023 by Captain Ibrahim Traoré, the public appearances of Lieutenant-Colonel Evrard Somda have been rare since the passing of the baton of command to his successor.
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