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Blaise Compaoré Resigns as Burkina Faso’s President, and a General Assumes Power Burkina Faso’s President Resigns, and General Takes Reins
(about 7 hours later)
OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso — Blaise Compaoré, president of the poor, landlocked nation Burkina Faso, announced Friday that he had resigned, forced from office by violent street protests and the burning of the Parliament building 27 years after he seized power as an army captain in a coup. OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso — He recently boasted that the streets would never oust him, not after he had won at the ballot box and survived multiple violent outbursts against his 27-year rule.
His place was immediately taken by Gen. Honoré Nabéré Traoré, the chief of staff of Burkina Faso’s armed forces, who said at a news conference that he would “assume, as of this day, the responsibilities of head of state.” He said he was acting to fill the power vacuum left by the president’s departure and to “save the life of the nation.” But after days of turmoil in which protesters burned the Parliament building here and set fire to the homes of his relatives and aides, President Blaise Compaoré of Burkina Faso announced Friday that he had stepped down — a rare case of the kind of popular uprising that toppled autocrats during the Arab Spring succeeding in sub-Saharan Africa.
Even as Mr. Compaoré's resignation was broadcast, there were reports that he was seeking to flee the country in a heavily-armed convoy. The political demise of Mr. Compaoré, 63, who stoked some of the region’s worst conflicts but later refashioned himself into an elder statesman committed to resolving them, closed the book on one of Africa’s most enduring rulers in a region where some leaders cling to power for decades.
The chaotic political demise of Mr. Compaoré, 63, who provoked a storm of dissent over manipulations to extend his rule indefinitely, closed the book on one of Africa’s most enduring rulers. He signaled few public regrets as he left. “When you imagine that our young men and women who are now 27 years old have known a single president, it’s absurd,” said Issouf Traore, a 44-year-old business owner who took to the streets this week to demand the president’s resignation.
“For my part, I believe, I have fulfilled my duty, my only concern being the higher interest of the nation,” he said in a resignation statement that called for elections within 90 days. With a mix of guile and charm, Mr. Compaoré managed to juggle alliances with Western governments and the Libyan leader Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi, turning himself into a regional power broker whose influence far outweighed the resources of his nation: a poor, landlocked country where more than half of the population has had no other leader.
With a mix of guile, charm and impunity, Mr. Compaoré, a onetime disciple of the Libyan leader Muammar el-Qaddafi who was known as “handsome Blaise,” had built himself into a regional power broker. His influence far outweighed the strength of his nation, where more than half the youthful population has known no other leader. “The demonstrations he could live with; he’s had that over the years,” said Pierre Englebert, a professor of African politics at Pomona College. “When they went for Parliament and set it on fire, then it went to a different level. It showed a certain resolve by the demonstrators.”
Events here were closely watched across West Africa and elsewhere, particularly in the handful of countries whose leaders are reported to be considering measures to extend their tenure. Some analysts said events in Burkina Faso may be taken as a warning of the perils of such action. Mr. Compaoré’s dual and often contradictory roles on the continent meant that he both fed conflict and, in later years, earned praise on the international stage for working to foster peace and greater stability.
Residents reported that a convoy carrying the president was seen leaving the capital, Ouagadougou, and heading south toward Po, near the border with Ghana. Some reports said barricades had been thrown up to stop him. “He has always been an extremely adept and sophisticated player in that region,” said Lansana Gberie, a historian from Sierra Leone who has written about the civil war there. “It has confounded many people.”
It was not immediately clear how popular General Traoré's declaration of power would be, since he is was regarded as close to Mr. Compaoré. Many protesters had said they favored the former defense minister, retired Gen. Kouame Lougué, to oversee a transition to new elections. Historians have described Mr. Compaoré as a principal supporter of Charles G. Taylor, the former Liberian president convicted in 2012 of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
The announcement from Mr. Compaoré came on the fourth day of turmoil in Ouagadougou, as military commanders met privately and demonstrators urged them to oust the president. During the civil war in Sierra Leone more than a decade ago, American officials accused Mr. Compaoré of fueling the violence by funneling arms to rebels and sending mercenaries to fight alongside them against United Nations peacekeepers in exchange for diamonds.
His departure was the culmination of 24 hours of frantic maneuvering. Mr. Compaoré declared martial law for a few hours on Thursday, then seemed to relent, offering negotiations on a transitional government and rescinding his martial law decree. At one point, General Traoré announced plans to form an interim authority leading to elections in a year’s time. But Mr. Compaoré often took on the role of regional peacemaker as well. This year, the United Nations secretary general, Ban Ki-moon, commended him for “his contribution to peace and stability in Mali,” including his help in reaching an agreement for a cease-fire after that country, a neighbor, was split in half by an insurgency.
Overnight, the president said he had “heard the message” from the protesters and understood “the strong desire for change” in this West African nation just below the Sahara whose name is translated as meaning the “Land of the Upright People.” A few years earlier, the United Nations Security Council had singled him out for “his critical role” in supporting the peace process in Ivory Coast — another country where he has been accused of stoking instability.
Mr. Compaoré also abandoned plans to change the Constitution so he could run for office again next year — the issue that had set off the protests. But he rejected calls for his immediate resignation. He remained close to the French during his presidency and came to be seen as a pro-Western leader and ally in the battle against Islamist militancy in the region.
On Friday, opposition leaders urged their followers to “keep up the pressure,” rejecting the president’s blandishments and calling for his immediate ouster. Thirty-four opposition groups also said the “precondition for any discussion of a political transition is the unconditional departure, pure and simple, of Mr. Blaise Compaoré.” “Over the years, Compaoré has played both the role of accomplice and peacemaker,” said Corinne Dufka, an associate director at Human Rights Watch.
As huge crowds gathered in Ouagadougou, one army officer, who was not identified by name, signaled that the military had abandoned the president, telling the increasingly impatient protesters that the “army is henceforth at the side of the people.” As “big men” like Qaddafi, Mr. Taylor and Foday Sankoh of Sierra Leone were toppled or indicted, “he took on the role of elder statesman, filling a vacuum for the role of Francophone negotiator,” Ms. Dufka said. “But still, why Compaoré’s actions in support of abusive regimes didn’t receive more scrutiny — indeed, condemnation — has always been a bit of a mystery.”
The protests sprang from a legislative proposal to remove term limits from the Constitution. They were first introduced in 2000, but, because of a legal technicality, were only applied to Mr. Compaoré in the 2005 elections, which he won. In 2010 he triumphed again, but he would have been ineligible to run in 2015 unless term limits were rescinded. Mr. Compaoré was only 36 when he seized power in a coup in 1987 that felled his former friend and military colleague Thomas Sankara, a national hero whose death many in Burkina Faso continue to grieve. Though the precise circumstances of the killing have long been opaque, it has cast a long shadow over Mr. Compaoré for decades, with many residents continuing to see it as an unforgivable betrayal.
Opposition to the president’s plans for another term had been building for weeks. Anger exploded Thursday as protesters stormed the Parliament building, bursting past police lines to prevent lawmakers from voting on the draft law. The recent protests against Mr. Compaoré sprang from a legislative proposal to remove term limits from the Constitution, which would have allowed him to extend his rule.
Thousands rampaged through Ouagadougou, burning the homes of presidential aides and relatives and looting state broadcasting facilities. Social media sites showed images of demonstrators toppling a statue of Mr. Compaoré and carrying off cameras from the state television studios. The limits were introduced in 2000, but because of a legal technicality, they were not applied to Mr. Compaoré until the 2005 elections, which he won. In 2010, he triumphed again, but he would have been ineligible to run in 2015 unless the term limits were rescinded.
Mr. Compaoré's legacy is rooted in his dueling roles on the continent, both feeding conflicts in other nations and helping to resolve them. Opposition to his plans for another term had been building for weeks. Anger exploded Thursday as protesters stormed the Parliament building, bursting past police lines to prevent lawmakers from voting on a draft of the legislation.
During the civil war in Sierra Leone more than a decade ago, American officials accused Mr. Compaoré of fueling the violence by funneling arms to rebels and sending mercenaries to fight alongside them against United Nations peacekeepers – in exchange for diamonds. Thousands rampaged through the capital, Ouagadougou, burning the homes of presidential aides and relatives and storming state broadcasting facilities. Social media sites showed images of demonstrators toppling a statue of Mr. Compaoré.
In 2000, a United Nations panel concluded that it was “highly likely” that arms had been brought into Burkina Faso and then shipped to fighters in Angola in breach of Security Council sanctions. Residents reported that a heavily armed convoy carrying the president had been seen leaving Ouagadougou and heading south toward the border with Ghana, even as his resignation announcement was read out on television. There were reports, too, that residents had barricaded roads to prevent him from fleeing.
But Mr. Compaoré has adopted the role of regional peacemaker as well. This year, the United Nations secretary general, Ban Ki-moon, commended him for “his contribution to peace and stability in Mali,” including his help in striking an agreement for a cease-fire after the country was split in half by an insurgency. Gen. Honoré Nabéré Traoré, the chief of staff of Burkina Faso’s armed forces, said at a news conference that he would “assume the responsibilities of head of state.” He said he was acting to fill the power vacuum left by Mr. Compaoré’s departure and to “save the life of the nation.”
A few years before, the Security Council singled him out for “his critical role” in supporting the peace process in Ivory Coast. Only hours earlier, General Traoré had announced plans to form a transitional government leading to elections in a year’s time.
He was only 36 years old when he seized power in a military coup that felled his former military colleague, Thomas Sankara, who was killed under circumstances that have never been disclosed. It was not immediately clear how popular the general’s action would be, since he was regarded as close to Mr. Compaoré. Many protesters had said they favored the former defense minister, the retired Gen. Kouame Lougué, to oversee a transition to new elections.
Mr. Compaoré was a student at the World Revolutionary Center in Libya run by Colonel Qaddafi, the longtime ruler and self-declared king of Africa, who himself was felled in a violent revolution three years ago. Later in the day, the military officer who had announced that Mr. Compaoré was no longer in office, Lt. Col. Isaac Zida, seemingly also staked a claim to power, saying he was the new president, Reuters reported.
Fellow alumni of Colonel Qaddafi’s school include the African warlords Charles Taylor of Liberia and Foday Sankoh of Sierra Leone, according to a 1999 book, “The Mask of Anarchy,” by Stephen Ellis of the African Studies Center in Leiden, the Netherlands. Mr. Compaoré had declared martial law for a few hours on Thursday, but then seemed to relent, offering negotiations on a transitional government and rescinding his martial-law decree.
Mr. Ellis described Colonel Qaddafi’s school as “the Harvard and Yale of a whole generation of African revolutionaries.” Overnight, the president said he had “heard the message” from the protesters in this impoverished West African nation and understood “the strong desire for change.”
As huge crowds gathered in Ouagadougou, one army officer signaled that the military had abandoned the president, telling protesters that the army was “henceforth at the side of the people.”
Tom McDonald, a lawyer and former United States ambassador to Zimbabwe, said he doubted that the uprising in Burkina Faso would lead to the ouster of longtime rulers in other African nations.
“I would say it’s happy talk to predict a Sub-Saharan Africa Spring,” Mr. McDonald said. At the same time, he added, such events do not go unnoticed among other leaders.
“These guys look around at each other,” he said. “When the music stops, how many chairs are left?”