Burkina Faso: Presidential guard detains interim leaders

While Burkina Faso’s interim government has said it will reorganize the 1,200-strong elite presidential guard, known by its French acronym RSP, it hasn’t laid out a detailed plan.

Kafando was appointed interim president in Burkina Faso’s transitional government in October, after then-President Compaore was forced to resign by his people amid massive demonstrations calling for an end to his 27-year rule.

Journalists from state television, who had gone to film the cabinet meeting, confirmed that the cabinet had been detained by soldiers.

Burkina Faso’s military initially had picked Zida to lead the country when it swooped in and took control in the power vacuum after Compaore’s resignation.

“Duty calls us because the Burkinabe nation is in danger”.

The RSP sparked a brief political crisis in June by demanding the resignation of Zida, an army lieutenant-colonel and number two in the powerful regiment, who had publicly called for the unit to be dissolved in the interest of national security.

“Members of the RSP burst into the room of the cabinet of ministers at around 1430 and took hostage the president of Burkina Faso Michel Kafando, the Prime Minister Yacouba Izaac Zida, the minister of public administration… and the minister of housing”, he said in a statement. “I call on all patriots to mobilise and defend the motherland”. Several other broadcast stations reportedly stopped transmitting, Reuters reported. France issued a travel warning to its citizens in the country to stay at home.

The RSP has repeatedly tried to disrupt the ongoing transition.

Members of the military showed up at the presidential offices Wednesday afternoon and barred the transitional leaders from leaving, Achille Tapsoba, who works at the presidency, told The Associated Press.