Trial of the coup in Burkina: the story of the jailer

In Burkina Faso, the trial of the coup d’etat continues.

The accused follow one another at the bar to explain their role during the days following the arrest of the transitional authorities.

Staff Sergeant Mahamadou Bouda was tasked with keeping the President and the Transitional Prime Minister after their arrest.

He explained that the tension was high in the presidential palace and he feared for the life of the authorities. But thanks to the presence of some NCOs, the worst was avoided.

Chief Warrant Officer Eloi Badiel orders Mahamadou Bouda, who had just arrived at the palace, to find a local, because they will make arrests. Half an hour later, he sees the arrival of the transition authorities. Staff Sergeant Mahamadou Bouda points out that there was a lot of tension in the palace.

“The young soldiers were armed and excited. They could do anything at any time,” he said.

When Chief Warrant Officer Major Eloi Badiel tells him that it is a coup d’etat, he demands that more experienced soldiers be put at his disposal for the surveillance of the authorities.

“I did not really trust young people,” he confesses

The jailer says that the transitional authorities spent their first night without any meals. And it was the next morning that the restaurant service visited them.

President Michel Kafando was released on the evening of 17 September, but Premier Yacouba Zida was taken to the regimental command post where he twice received a visit from General Gilbert Diendéré.

“I was not for the coup but I had to play the game,” says Sgt. Mahamadou Bouda.