LOME (Togo), Oct 3 — Togo’s government today confirmed that ousted Burkina Faso leader Lieutenant-Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba had fled to Togo after a military coup.

West African bloc Ecowas plans to send envoys to Burkina Faso after troops toppled Damiba in the country’s second putsch in nine months.

Togo’s Minister of Communication and government spokesman Akodah Ayewouadan said Damiba was in Togo as part of the country’s commitment to "peace in the sub-region.”

"Togo, like Ecowas, welcomes the fact that the spirit of peace has prevailed,” the official said in a response to questions from AFP.

"The reception of... Damiba is part of this spirit.”

The streets of Burkina Faso’s capital Ouagadougou were quiet today after a two-day showdown between military rivals.

Damiba yesterday had agreed to step down, religious and community mediators said, after new self-declared leader Captain Ibrahim Traore declared he had been forced out.

Ecowas — the Economic Community of West African States — said it welcomed "a peaceful settlement of their differences” and announced it would dispatch a delegation to Ouagadougou. — AFP