Assets of Burkina Faso coup leaders frozen by state prosecutor

Members of the unit stormed the cabinet room on 16 September, seizing the interim president, the prime minister and others. Armored vehicles surrounded the building.

We wish to express our appreciation to the global partners who condemned the events in Burkina Faso and took immediate action to help prevent the country’s democratic transition from being derailed, especially the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the African Union, and the United Nations.

The Council’s statement called for “the resumption of the transition without delay, including the holding of free, fair and credible elections, in accordance with the Constitution and Traditional Charter of Burkina Faso“. Elections had been scheduled for October 11 before the coup but it is doubtful that date can be met.

Burkina Faso’s armed forces said that they started disarming the presidential guard Friday. According to the Burkinabe government, at least 11 people died and 271 were wounded in the violence that ensued the coup.

Soldiers from around Burkina Faso have poured into the capital as the military vowed to disarm the mutinous presidential guard behind a coup. However the proposal, which included an amnesty for the coup leaders, was swiftly rejected by civil society and opposition politicians.

Faced with opposition from the rank and file military, popular unrest in the capital and firm opposition from regional leaders, coup leader Diendere said Tuesday that he would step down as requested by the regional bloc.

Kafando on Friday signed a decree to disband the presidential guard.

An investigation will determine who will stand trial for the short-lived rebellion, the prime minister announced earlier.

“Those who will have to answer to justice will do so”, he said as his team gathered at his city centre office rather than its customary presidential palace venue where the putschists burst in on them last week.

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo represented President Buhari Wednesday in Ouagadougou where the deal was finally sealed but noted that there are still hard issues to be resolved as fallouts of the coup crisis but said “progress would continue.”