Despite a call for restraint by the coup leader, the protesters gathered in the zone of the airport where the West African envoys landed.

Coup Supporters In Burkina Faso Protest ECOWAS Fact-Finding Mission

Several dozen people held a protest in Burkina Faso’s capital on Tuesday as envoys of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) made their arrival into the country on a fact-finding mission following the country’s latest coup.

The mission was headed by Guinea-Bissau Foreign Minister, Suzi Barbosa, and included the West African mediator for Burkina Faso. 

Regardless of the protests, the envoys were welcomed by the country's new strong man and met with customary and religious authorities.

In Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso, demonstrators marched against ECOWAS.

According to Amadou Sagada, a high school teacher who was among the demonstrators, “ECOWAS is a disgrace. We want to tell them that the Burkinabe people are standing up and will not let themselves be taken away. What the captain has done is the will of the people and we are behind them".

Another protester, Bado Nebon, who stated that the protesters were not against the coming of the ECOWAS envoys to Burkina, said "We oppose them because we know what they are coming to do – destroy the country. We are well aware of that; that is why we are opposed to that."

Despite a call for restraint by the coup leader, the protesters gathered in the zone of the airport where the West African envoys landed. 

A heavy military presence, however, kept them away from the main entrance of the airport where they had rallied to make the ECOWAS envoys feel unwelcome.

The protesters also chanted pro-Russian slogans and called on France to exit the country.

ECOWAS has witnessed five coups among three of its member states in little over two years and pressing for a return to constitutional rule in member states lead by juntas, the regional bloc adopted a contested method, which included sanctions.