Ousted Burkina Faso leader leaves country for Togo - The Associated Press - en Español

OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso (AP) — Burkina Faso’s ousted coup leader Lt.

Ibrahim Traore, officially has been named head of state following the Friday coup that ousted Damiba.

Their power grab marked Burkina Faso’s second military coup this year, deepening fears that the political chaos could divert attention from an Islamic insurgency whose violence has killed thousands and forced 2 million to flee their homes.

It followed unrest in Ouagadougou, the capital, in which mobs on Saturday attacked the French embassy and other French-related sites, wrongly believing that they were sheltering Damiba.

Anti-French sentiment rose sharply after the new junta alleged that interim president Damiba was sheltering at a French military base following his ouster.

Some who support the new coup leader, Traore, have called on Burkina Faso’s government to seek Russian support instead.