West Africa leaders pay cautious visit to Burkina Faso

A delegation from the West African regional body, Ecowas, has arrived in Burkina Faso and is due to meet the country’s new military leader, Ibrahim Traoré.

He seized power on Friday in the country’s second coup this year which was triggered by rising insecurity with multiple attacks by Islamist militants. The man he ousted as leader is now in Togo.

The Ecowas delegation is likely to urge the new leader to stick to earlier proposals to hold elections by mid-2024.

A small group of protesters in the capital Ouagadougou – some of whom were waving Russian flags – called for Ecowas and France to stay out of the country’s affairs.

Russian influence has been growing in several French-speaking African countries, particularly in Mali and the Central African Republic.