Coup leaders, troops loyal to government in Burkina Faso sign deal

Burkina Faso’s President Michel Kafando said he and his government were back in power on Wednesday a week after a coup, though it was unclear who was really in charge after the rebellion’s leader attended a state function.

On Sunday, mediators from West Africa’s regional Ecowas bloc put forward a proposal to end the crisis peacefully, which entails returning interim-President Michel Kafando’s to power, holding elections on November. 22 and granting amnesty to the coup leaders.

The presidents of Senegal, Togo, Benin and Nigeria were due to travel to Burkina Faso’s capital, Ouagadougou, Tuesday evening to negotiate a peaceful rollback of the takeover by the country’s presidential guard.

Last week’s coup was led by members of the presidential guard still loyal to ex-President Blaise Compaore, who was ousted in an uprising in October 2014 after he angered people by attempting to prolong his 27-year rule. Kafando has sought shelter at the residence of the French ambassador in Ouagadougou.

A civic organisation told residents to remain in their homes.

Diendere on Monday apologised to the nation and said he would hand over control to a civilian transitional government after the military warned that its forces would converge on the capital and forcibly disarm the soldiers behind the power grab. The former ruling Congress for Democracy and Progress party said one of its leaders, Achilles Tapsoba, was arrested in the south of the capital.

The coup and the resulting unrest claimed the lives of at least 10 people while more than 100 were wounded.

At the time, the national army had entered the capital and General Diendere was refusing to stand down until a deal was reached. “The transition is back and at this very minute is exercising the power of the state”.

French President Francois Hollande also referred to casualties when he expressed his “solidarity with the family of the victims of the unacceptable violence seen in the last days”.

Diendere said he wanted to avoid military units fighting against each other.

Buhari in his welcome remark said the development in Burkina-Faso runs contrary to the expectations of ECOWAS‎.

UN Security Council on Thursday “condemned in the strongest terms” the unconstitutional and forceful seizure of power perpetrated on September 16-17 by presidential guard against the transitional authorities of Burkina Faso.

He said that the coup plotters must not be allowed to go scot free or rewind the hand of the clock as preparations were being made the elections and democratic government in Burkina Faso in October.

In an apparent olive branch, the coup leaders released interim prime minister Yacouba Isaac Zida, who had been held hostage since the revolt began, his adviser and another loyalist officer said.