Military coup protesters killed in Burkina Faso

Burkina Faso’s new leader is a trusted aide of Compaore’s, General Gilbert Diendere.

The claim by the influential Balai Citoyen group could not be independently verified. Reports said more than ten deaths amid protests in the capital, Ouagadougou.

“There are crowds on the streets”, a taxi driver said, adding that the home of a member of Compaore’s party had been torched.

Meanwhile, the AU and the Economic Community of West African States have called for the immediate release of “hostages”, referring to interim President Michel Kafando and Prime Minister Isaac Zida, who were detained at a cabinet meeting in the president palace before the coup plotters struck on Wednesday.

Initially, Zida, the second-in-command of the presidential guard, had taken power when Compaore fled to Ivory Coast on October 31 after massive demonstrations demanding an end to his 27-year rule.

The statement said the electoral process was discriminatory and had created “divisions and frustrations amongst the people”, a reference to a policy that barred loyalists of Mr. Compaore and those who backed his tenure elongation bid, from being part of the election.

They were due to hand power to a new government after elections on 11 October.

Interim parliament speaker Cheriff Sy said the move was “clearly a coup”.

“We have put in place a national democracy council tasked with organising democratic and inclusive elections”, he said.

“This incident is a flagrant violation of Burkina Faso’s constitution and transitional charter”, United Nations chief Ban Ki-moon said in a statement.

The coup in the West African nation comes just days after a commission recommended disbanding the elite Presidential Security Regiment, which has publicly clashed with the transitional government and which is also accused of killing demonstrators during last year’s anti-government rallies.

“We are deeply disappointed that the self-interested actions of a few are threatening the historic opportunity that the people of Burkina Faso have to cast their ballots and build a new future for the country”.

Under Compaore, Burkina emerged as an important regional ally of France and the United States against al Qaeda-linked militants.