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Ouagadougou. — Several thousand people gathered in the capital of Burkina Faso yesterday to protest at the army’s power grab after the turbulent ouster of president Blaise Compaore, as the international community demanded the military hand over to civilian rule.
Mediators brandished the threat of sanctions if the army in the impoverished west African state refused to back down.
“We call on the military to immediately transfer power to civilian authorities,” the US State Department after the army on Saturday declared military rule.
The UN envoy for west Africa, Mohamed Ibn Chambas, told a news conference in the Burkinabe capital that he and African leaders had pressed the demand in a meeting with the country’s top military brass.
If the army refuses, “the consequences are pretty clear”, he said. “We want to avoid having to impose sanctions on Burkina Faso.”
The military stepped into the power vacuum left after long-standing ruler Compaore stepped down on Friday following violent street demonstrations that some have likened to the Arab Spring.
Hundreds of thousands of protesters, furious at plans to extend Compaore’s 27-year rule, massed on the streets of Ouagadougou last Thursday, some going on the rampage and setting parliament and other public buildings ablaze.
Under Burkina Faso’s constitution, the speaker of parliament was supposed to step in as interim head of state following the president’s resignation.
But the army instead named the second-in-command of the presidential guard, Lieutenant Colonel Isaac Zida, as the head of the transitional authority. Zida said he was appointed to ensure a “smooth democratic transition” in the landlocked country and promised to consult with the political opposition and civil leaders.
But several thousand people joined a march against the military yesterday after a call for action by the opposition and civil society leaders. — AFP.
Peter Tanyanyiwa
Online Reporter