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Burkina Faso: rival military leaders lay claim to power Burkina Faso’s deposed president flees to Ivory Coast
(about 1 hour later)
Rival military leaders have laid claim to power in Burkina Faso following the ousting of the west African nation’s president who fled after days of violent unrest over plans to extend his 27-year rule. Burkina Faso’s deposed president has fled to neighbouring Ivory Coast after being ousted in a popular uprising, while the military appears to have averted a dangerous power struggle by backing a largely unknown colonel as interim leader.
Lieutenant Colonel Isaac Zida, declared himself head of state, dismissing as “obsolete” an earlier such bid by the army chief General Honoré Traoré, a close ally of ousted president Blaise Compaoré. The president, Blaise Compaoré, his family and entourage have been taken in by Ivory Coast, according to a statement from the office of its president, Alassane Ouattara, who is following events “with particular attention”.
Compaoré fled the country and arrived in Yamoussoukro, the capital of neighbouring Ivory Coast, on Saturday. A resident of the Ivorian capital, Yamoussoukro, told Agence France-Presse he saw a cortege of around 30 cars heading for a luxury hotel which is also used as a semi-official residence for foreign dignitaries.
Compaoré’s resignation amid violent street protests this week was an “insurrection”, Zida claimed. “The services of the President hotel in Yamoussoukro served him [Compaoré] dinner yesterday and breakfast this morning,” a hotel employee was quoted as saying.
“This is not a coup d’etat but a popular uprising,” he said, after making his radio address. “The people have hopes and expectations, and we believe we have understood them.” But on Saturday a member of staff at the President hotel, who gave his name as Daniel, said: “He is not staying here. We have all heard from the newspapers that he is in Yamoussoukro but we have not seen him.”
He said that the country’s borders had been closed, a transitional committee set up and the constitution suspended. Compaoré, 63, resigned on Friday after days of violent protests demanding an end to his regime. His swift departure after 27 years in power created a potential power vacuum in the impoverished west African nation.
Zida’s claim, which came after reports of heavy gunfire near the presidential palace early on Saturday, followed a statement on Friday by Traoré in which he said he would assume the presidency until elections were held. The leader of a group of young army officers, Isaac Zida, declared himself interim leader and on Saturday the military threw its weight behind him. “Lieutenant-colonel Isaac Zida was chosen unanimously to lead the transition period opened after the departure of President Compaoré,” said a statement published after a meeting of army chiefs.
It was unclear whether Traoré had accepted Zida’s move. The text was signed by General Navere Honore Traore, who initially said he would himself assume power, a claim Zida had dismissed as “obsolete”. Many protesters objected to Traore as leader because he is seen as a Compaoré loyalist.
Zida called on the international community including the African Union to “support our people during this difficult ordeal”. Although Zida, the second in command of the presidential guard, could face similar criticism, analysts believe he is more appealing to the younger generation and civil society. He appeared before big crowds alongside the lawyer Guy Hervé Kam, leader of the Citizen Broom group that helped lead the demonstrations.
Burkina Faso hosts French special forces and has been an important ally of both France and the US in the fight against Islamist militants in west Africa. Zida’s appointment may also be acknowledgement of the need to retain the support of the presidential guard, an elite military unit of around 1,500 troops who are better armed and better trained than the conventional army.
The US called on the army to follow “the constitutionally mandated process for the transfer of power and holding of democratic elections”. Dressed in military fatigues, Zida announced on television early on Saturday that he had assumed “the responsibilities of head of the transition and of head of state” to ensure a “smooth democratic transition”. He said “the aspirations for democratic change” of the Burkina youth “will be neither betrayed, nor disappointed”.
State department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said: “We condemn any attempts by the military or other parties to take advantage of the situation for unconstitutional gain and call on all parties to respect the people’s support for the democratic process.” Zida also said the ousted president was “in a safe place” and his “safety and wellbeing are assured”. He called on the international community including the African Union to “support our people during this difficult ordeal”. He announced that the country’s borders had been closed, a transitional committee had been set up and the constitution had been suspended.
The power struggle follows days of violent demonstrations on the streets of Ouagadougou against Compaoré’s rule after he sought to push a bill through parliament that would have allowed him to seek a fifth term in power. The protests have been closely watched across the continent where other veteran leaders are also seeking to stay in power. Calm returned to the streets of the capital, Ouagadougou, with shops reopening and calls by protest organisers for a clean-up of the debris left behind after an explosive week in which half a million people marched, stormed and torched parliament and other buildings and gathered at the presidential palace to demand Compaoré’s departure.
Calm returned to the streets of the capital on Saturday, with shops reopening and calls by organisations behind the demonstrations for supporters to clean up the streets. The parliament building had been set ablaze during the protests. A western diplomat based in Ouagadougou said on Saturday: “It’s done. It’s over. It’s extraordinary. I’ve been driving around this morning and there is sweeping up going on all over town. The same adults and children who were going out demonstrating are now out with dustpan and broom. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
Compaoré seized power in 1987 and later refashioned himself as a regional peace broker. Many of Burkina Faso’s young population had not been born at the time of the coup, in which his former friend Thomas Sankara was assassinated aged 37 after leading the country for four years. He added: “In 24 hours it seems to have gone right back. Small businesses have reopened everywhere. It’s nearly a normal Saturday except the supermarkets are closed and there’s a certain euphoria in the air.”
The diplomat, who did not wish to be named, said the burned and looted headquarters of Compaoré’s ruling party, and the home of his “universally loathed” younger brother François, were now attracting crowds of curious onlookers, almost like tourist attractions. “They have come to see if it’s really true.”
The uprising, which has drawn parallels with the Arab spring, was sparked by plans to change the constitution to allow Compaoré to stand once again for elections next year. He initially rejected calls to resign but gave in as the scale of the unrest became clear.
Burkina Faso hosts French special forces and serves as an important ally of both France and the US in the fight against Islamist militants in west Africa. Washington called on Burkina Faso’s military to follow “the constitutionally mandated process for the transfer of power and holding of democratic elections”.
The state department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said: “We condemn any attempts by the military or other parties to take advantage of the situation for unconstitutional gain and call on all parties to respect the people’s support for the democratic process.”