Burkina Faso junta leader inaugurated as nation’s president

By SAM MEDNICK
Associated Press

JAQUEVILLE, Ivory Coast (AP) — Burkina Faso’s junta leader Lt. Col. Paul Henri Sandaogo Damiba has been sworn in as president Wednesday, less than a month after mutinous soldiers seized control of the West African country in a coup. The inauguration ceremony, not open to the general public, was held at the Constitutional Court. Speaking to the nation on state television after taking the oath, Damiba paid tribute to the security forces and the country’s population and said he would do everything to guarantee justice for all. Damiba has promised to secure the war-torn country from growing jihadi violence linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group that has killed thousands and displaced more than 1.5 million people.