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Military Units in Burkina Faso Stand Ready to Quell Coup African Leaders Call for Reinstatement of President of Burkina Faso
(about 11 hours later)
OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso — Army units in the capital of Burkina Faso were poised on Tuesday to reverse a coup that was carried out last week by allies of the former president. OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso — West African leaders called on Tuesday evening for the reinstatement of Burkina Faso’s interim president, who was overthrown in a coup last week.
About 150 members of the Presidential Security Regiment, an elite unit loyal to the former president, Blaise Compaoré, arrived in buses at a military installation as the army set a 10 a.m. deadline for their surrender. Outside the installation, Camp Sangoulé Lamizana, anticoup protesters demonstrated in support of the military. Leaders of several nations in the region — including the largest, Nigeria — said they would travel here on Wednesday morning to try to broker a peaceful resolution to the political crisis.
“Ouagadougou is under the control of the army,” said the military’s chief of staff, Brig. Gen. Pingrenoma Zagré. Troops could be seen at strategic points throughout the capital here, having arrived Monday night. As the tense standoff here played out throughout the day on Tuesday, there appeared to be two major obstacles to such a resolution: whether the leaders of the coup would be granted immunity from prosecution, and whether the allies of former President Blaise Compaoré, who was ousted in October, would be permitted to run in elections originally scheduled for Oct. 11.
The army said it would move to disarm the entire 1,200-member regiment, according to military sources. But as of Tuesday afternoon, Gen. Gilbert Diendéré — the leader of the coup and the regiment, and a former chief of staff to Mr. Compaoré — remained at the presidential palace, surrounded by fellow members of his regiment. He declined to surrender, but was open to negotiation. Army units entered Ouagadougou, the capital, on Tuesday in an attempt to reverse the coup, which was staged last week by allies of Mr. Compaoré. But the leader of the coup, Gen. Gilbert Diendéré, refused to surrender.
Despite the general’s resistance, the military’s chief of staff, Brig. Gen. Pingrenoma Zagré, declared on Tuesday that “Ouagadougou is under the control of the army.”
The army said it would move to disarm the entire 1,200-member Presidential Security Regiment, which led the coup. About 150 members of the regiment arrived in buses at a military installation, Camp Sangoulé Lamizana, early Tuesday before the 10 a.m. deadline the army had set for their surrender.
But General Diendéré, the leader of the regiment and a former chief of staff to Mr. Compaoré, remained at the presidential palace, along with many of the regiment’s members.
“We do not want to shed blood to stay in power at any cost,” he told Radio France International. He said of his opponents: “We want above all to have a discussion. We want to find common ground in the most peaceful way possible.”“We do not want to shed blood to stay in power at any cost,” he told Radio France International. He said of his opponents: “We want above all to have a discussion. We want to find common ground in the most peaceful way possible.”
Last week, the regiment — known by its French abbreviation, R.S.P. — stormed a cabinet meeting, removing the interim president, Michel Kafando, and the prime minister, Lt. Col. Isaac Zida, and declaring General Diendéré in charge. As of Tuesday morning, Mr. Kafando had sought refuge in the French Embassy here, and Colonel Zida had been released from house arrest, in what the coup’s leaders called a conciliatory act. By late Tuesday, it appeared that efforts to find a compromise had succeeded as representatives of the two sides reportedly reached an agreement to end the standoff, according to Agence France-Presse. Under the reported agreement, General Diendéré’s troops would return to their base, and army units would withdraw from the capital and guarantee the safety of those involved in the coup, the news agency reported.
Sporadic protests in support of the interim government continued in Ouagadougou and other cities, though many residents were staying at home, fearful that the standoff between the military and the presidential guard could erupt in violence. An earlier effort at compromise did not fare well.
The army’s actions were a striking turnabout in the situation here. On Sunday, West African negotiators, led by President Macky Sall of Senegal, announced an accord under which elections would be held by Nov. 22 and loyalists of Mr. Compaoré would be permitted to participate and given immunity from prosecution.
On Sunday, West African negotiators, led by President Macky Sall of Senegal, announced a compromise, under which elections originally scheduled for Oct. 11 would be held by Nov. 22. The proposal would also allow loyalists of Mr. Compaoré to run. General Diendéré was reportedly ready to see Mr. Kafando return to office as part of the compromise, brokered by the Economic Community of West African States, but opponents of the coup worried that he was merely trying to play for time. General Diendéré had reportedly agreed to allow the interim president, Michel Kafando, to return to office as part of the compromise, brokered by a regional body, the Economic Community of West African States.
Opponents of Mr. Compaoré, including many ordinary citizens, denounced that compromise. Mr. Compaoré was overthrown last October in a popular uprising after he tried to amend the Constitution to extend his 27-year rule. His opponents fear that his faction will try to return. But opponents of the coup called the compromise a betrayal. Demonstrators took to the streets to denounce it, although many residents stayed home, fearful of further violence. About a dozen people have been killed and more than 100 injured since the coup, officials reported.
Pressure on the coup’s leaders has been building. The United Nations secretary general denounced the coup; the African Union has suspended Burkina Faso’s membership; and the French government has called for the restoration of the interim government. Burkina Faso, then known as Upper Volta, was a French colony until 1960. Mr. Compaoré was ousted last October in an uprising against his efforts to extend his 27-year rule. Last week, the regiment, known by the initials R.S.P. for its name in French, stormed a cabinet meeting, seizing Mr. Kafando and the prime minister, Lt. Col. Isaac Zida.
Mr. Kafando was freed on Friday and has been given refuge at the residence of the French ambassador here. Colonel Zida was released from house arrest on Tuesday, in what General Diendéré called a conciliatory gesture.
“I am well, but morally shocked by what is happening to my country,” Colonel Zida, a major participant in last year’s uprising, said in a statement.
Pressure on the coup’s leaders has been building. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon of the United Nations denounced the coup, the African Union has suspended Burkina Faso’s membership, West African diplomats have moved to seize the assets of the coup leaders and bar them from traveling, and the French government has called for the restoration of the interim government. (Burkina Faso, formerly known as Upper Volta, was a French colony until 1960.)