Burkina Faso military dissolves government, confirms coup

The powerful presidential guard has repeatedly meddled in politics since Compaore was toppled in a popular uprising in October previous year .

Military takes to airwaves and declares it now controls West African nation, just weeks before planned elections.

Washington said it is “deeply concerned” about the events unfolding in Burkina Faso.

South Africa’s joined the flood denouncing the putsch in Burkina Faso that includes UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and France that has at least 200 special forces in Ouagadougou as part of its anti-terror presence in various African countries.

-Interim parliament speaker Cheriff Sy told French radio station RFI that a coup was clearly in progress, and called on the people to rise up in protest and defence of their nation’s democracy.

The transitional government organized the October 11 vote, and was supposed to stay in power until that election could be held.

The coup leaders later announced that General Diendere, who had been head of the elite presidential guard under Mr Compaore and was his long-time aide, was now in charge.

Diendere, speaking in a telephone interview Thursday with the Paris-based magazine Jeune Afrique, said the military had to step in “to prevent the destabilization of the country” and that Kafando and Zida were under house arrest and “will be released”.

The military in Burkina Faso has announced the dissolution of the country’s transitional government.

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”. Ivory Coast, Guinea and the Central African Republic are scheduled to hold elections in the next two months. Charismatic, revolutionary soldier-president Captain Thomas Sankara seizes power in 1983 and changes the name of his country from Upper Volta to Burkina Faso, which translates as the land of upright people.

French President Francois Hollande said he strongly condemned the coup “because an electoral process was under way”.

Its interference in the interim administration that followed Compaore’s ouster, including attempts to force the prime minister’s resignation of over his plans to reduce its size and pay, provoked further protests and prompted the authorities to call for a review of the RSP’s role.