Burkina Faso Military Installs General As New Head of State After Coup
US and UN condemn action which installs General Gilbert Dienderen - loyal to ousted former president Blaise Compaore - as new leader
General Gilbert Diendere has been installed as Burkina Faso's new president, after a coup on Thursday.
Associated Press
Thursday 17 September 2015 23.19 EDT
Burkina Faso’s military has installed a general loyal to a former President as the new head of state, in a coup three weeks before national elections.
The developments capped a dramatic year in the West African country where President Blaise Compaore was ousted in a popular uprising last October after he tried to prolong his 27-year rule.
That paved the way for the formation of a transitional government, but soldiers arrested the interim president and prime minister late on Wednesday and announced hours later that they had been removed from office.
The coup, which triggered immediate street protests outside the presidential palace where the leaders were being held, has been condemned by the United States, which said it will review its foreign assistance to Burkina Faso in light of events.
“We call on the responsible parties to release immediately those being detained, order aligned forces to stand down, respect the rights of civilians to peacefully assemble, and put Burkina Faso back on the path to presidential elections in October,” US national security advisor Susan Rice said in a statement.
“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,” Rice said, adding that the US was working with international bodies, including the United Nations to see a peaceful end to the crisis.
France, the country’s former colonial power, has expressed alarm about the unfolding events.
Burkina Faso hosts French special forces and serves as an important ally of both France and the United States in the fight against Islamic militants in West Africa.
The latest political unrest sparked violence in the streets, and the presidential guard opened fire with live ammunition to disperse crowds protesting against the coup, witnesses said late Wednesday. Associated Press journalists saw the bodies of at least six victims at a morgue in the capital of Ouagadougou on Thursday.
Members of the presidential guard wandered about the city in pickups and on motorcycles seeking to disperse any gatherings late on Thursday.
Burkina Faso’s land and air borders were closed and a 7 pm to 6 am curfew was imposed. The coup — the country’s sixth since it won independence from France in 1960 — unfolded overnight with stunning speed. Late on Wednesday, the country’s interim president and prime minister were arrested at the presidency during a ministerial meeting.
A communique read on state TV and radio early Thursday by an army lieutenant colonel wearing a camouflage uniform criticised the electoral code, which blocked members of Compaore’s party from taking part in the October 11 elections. Anyone who supported the ex-president’s bid to amend the constitution so he could seek another term was also banned from running.
The coup leaders later announced that General Gilbert Diendere, who had been head of the elite presidential guard under Compaore and was his longtime aide, was now in charge of the nation.
In a telephone interview with the AP, Diendere also criticised the electoral code and vowed that elections would go forward — but not on the timeframe that has been set.
“Today it seems to me that the October 11 date is too soon to hold the election,” Diendere said. “It’s not at our level to speak of Compaore’s return. We want to stabilize the country and hold elections.”
Compaore and his family initially fled to Ivory Coast but his whereabouts on Thursday were unknown.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon demanded that all detained officials be released immediately and that the country’s political transition resume, his spokesman said in a statement. Ban also said those responsible for the coup and its consequences must be held accountable.
The UN secretary general’s special envoy to West Africa, Mohamed Ibn Chambas, met with Diendere on Thursday and “demanded an end to the coup d’etat” and a quick resumption of the country’s political transition, the UN political chief, Jeffrey Feltman, told reporters after briefing the UN security council.
“That message was delivered in the strongest terms,” Feltman said. He added that Senegal’s president would travel to Ouagadougou on Friday for talks.
General Gilbert Diendere has been installed as Burkina Faso's new president, after a coup on Thursday.
Associated Press
Thursday 17 September 2015 23.19 EDT
Burkina Faso’s military has installed a general loyal to a former President as the new head of state, in a coup three weeks before national elections.
The developments capped a dramatic year in the West African country where President Blaise Compaore was ousted in a popular uprising last October after he tried to prolong his 27-year rule.
That paved the way for the formation of a transitional government, but soldiers arrested the interim president and prime minister late on Wednesday and announced hours later that they had been removed from office.
The coup, which triggered immediate street protests outside the presidential palace where the leaders were being held, has been condemned by the United States, which said it will review its foreign assistance to Burkina Faso in light of events.
“We call on the responsible parties to release immediately those being detained, order aligned forces to stand down, respect the rights of civilians to peacefully assemble, and put Burkina Faso back on the path to presidential elections in October,” US national security advisor Susan Rice said in a statement.
“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,” Rice said, adding that the US was working with international bodies, including the United Nations to see a peaceful end to the crisis.
France, the country’s former colonial power, has expressed alarm about the unfolding events.
Burkina Faso hosts French special forces and serves as an important ally of both France and the United States in the fight against Islamic militants in West Africa.
The latest political unrest sparked violence in the streets, and the presidential guard opened fire with live ammunition to disperse crowds protesting against the coup, witnesses said late Wednesday. Associated Press journalists saw the bodies of at least six victims at a morgue in the capital of Ouagadougou on Thursday.
Members of the presidential guard wandered about the city in pickups and on motorcycles seeking to disperse any gatherings late on Thursday.
Burkina Faso’s land and air borders were closed and a 7 pm to 6 am curfew was imposed. The coup — the country’s sixth since it won independence from France in 1960 — unfolded overnight with stunning speed. Late on Wednesday, the country’s interim president and prime minister were arrested at the presidency during a ministerial meeting.
A communique read on state TV and radio early Thursday by an army lieutenant colonel wearing a camouflage uniform criticised the electoral code, which blocked members of Compaore’s party from taking part in the October 11 elections. Anyone who supported the ex-president’s bid to amend the constitution so he could seek another term was also banned from running.
The coup leaders later announced that General Gilbert Diendere, who had been head of the elite presidential guard under Compaore and was his longtime aide, was now in charge of the nation.
In a telephone interview with the AP, Diendere also criticised the electoral code and vowed that elections would go forward — but not on the timeframe that has been set.
“Today it seems to me that the October 11 date is too soon to hold the election,” Diendere said. “It’s not at our level to speak of Compaore’s return. We want to stabilize the country and hold elections.”
Compaore and his family initially fled to Ivory Coast but his whereabouts on Thursday were unknown.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon demanded that all detained officials be released immediately and that the country’s political transition resume, his spokesman said in a statement. Ban also said those responsible for the coup and its consequences must be held accountable.
The UN secretary general’s special envoy to West Africa, Mohamed Ibn Chambas, met with Diendere on Thursday and “demanded an end to the coup d’etat” and a quick resumption of the country’s political transition, the UN political chief, Jeffrey Feltman, told reporters after briefing the UN security council.
“That message was delivered in the strongest terms,” Feltman said. He added that Senegal’s president would travel to Ouagadougou on Friday for talks.
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