UNITED NATIONS – The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) has expressed grave concern about Burkina Faso's "unconstitutional change of government," and has called for President Roch Marc Christian Kabore and other government leaders to be released and protected.

According to sources, UNSC members took note of the decision by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the African Union to suspend Burkina Faso's membership "unless the military authorities restore constitutional order quickly and effectively," according to a statement.

The Council also emphasised its support for regional efforts to resolve the conflict through mediation.Members of the UNSC voiced concern over "the harmful impact" of unconstitutional government transitions in the region, as well as a rise in terrorist activity and the region's dismal socioeconomic state.

On January 24, the military in Burkina Faso conducted a coup, deposing President Kabore. Lieutenant-Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba's Patriotic Movement for Safeguard and Restoration took control from the civilian administration.

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