How did ECOWAS help restore the transitional government after the 2015 coup attempt?

Following the September 2015 coup attempt in Burkina Faso, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) played a critical role in restoring the transitional government through diplomatic mediation.12

ECOWAS mediators led negotiations to resolve the crisis caused by the detention of interim President Michel Kafando and Prime Minister Isaac Zida by members of the presidential guard (RSP). On September 20, 2015, the organization proposed a deal that included the following terms:12

• The reinstatement of Michel Kafando as interim president.12
• The inclusion of candidates previously linked to former president Blaise Compaoré in the upcoming elections.12
• The granting of amnesty to the members of the coup.12

While the Burkinabé public and members of the deposed government expressed significant opposition to the amnesty clause, the pressure from ECOWAS mediation, combined with the Burkinabé military’s ultimatum for the coup plotters to lay down their arms, led to the restoration of the transitional administration on September 23, 2015.12