Presidential Guard Arrests Interim Leader, Announces Takeover Of Burkina Faso

The military in Burkina Faso has taken to the airwaves to declare it now controls the country, confirming that a coup has taken place just weeks before national elections.

Hours later, the coup leaders announced that a military general and former aide to the former longtime president now leads Burkina Faso.

“The patriotic forces, grouped together in the National Council for Democracy, have decided today to put an end to the deviant transitional regime“, the military official said on RTB state television. The African Union had threatened the small landlocked country with sanctions unless Compaore handed over power to civilians and political parties agreed on a transitional plan in the run-up to the November elections, according to South Africa’s News24.

The group that seized power, calling itself the National Council for Democracy, says it will be led by Gen. Gilbert Diendere, who Agence France-Presse identifies as Compaore’s former chief-of-staff.

The Burkina Faso military in a TV broadcast on Thursday said it had stripped President Kafando of his functions and dissolved the government.

At least one person was killed when the presidential guard opened fire with live ammunition to disperse crowds protesting the coup, witnesses said.

Protesters took to the streets to protest the military takeover amid reports 10 people had been shot dead by the presidential guards.

Interim parliament speaker Cheriff Sy denounced what he said was a “coup d’Etat”, and in a interview with RFI radio Thursday called on the people to “immediately rise up”.

Fanny Noaro, a journalist speaking with Al Jazeera in Ouagadougou, confirmed that there “is no information about the transitional president and prime minister and there is no information if they are dead or alive”.

French President Francois Hollande condemned the coup.

In a telephone interview with The Associated Press, Diendere criticized the electoral code that had banned members of ex-President Blaise Compaore’s party from taking part in the elections.

The United States also called for the immediate release of the interim president, prime minister.

“We will review our foreign assistance to Burkina Faso in light of evolving events”, Rice said.