Burkina junta resists pressure to return to democracy in less than 3 years

FILE PHOTO: Burkina Faso's President Roch Marc Christian Kabore attends a plenary session at the start of the Paris Peace Forum, in Paris, France, November 11, 2021. REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes/File Photo

OUAGADOUGOU (Reuters) -Burkina Faso's military junta on Thursday resisted pressure from West African regional union ECOWAS to relinquish power in less than three years, saying its priority was to restore security in the country.

The military seized power in late January, deposing President Roch Kabore in a coup and citing what they described as his inability to contain Islamist insurgents who control swathes of territory.