Burkina
Faso's army cleared thousands of protesters from the capital and opened fire at
state TV headquarters on Sunday, killing one person, as it sought to restore
order following the resignation of President Blaise Compaore two days ago.
Compaore's 27 years in charge of the landlocked
former French colony ended abruptly on Friday after two days of mass protests
aimed at thwarting his bid to change the constitution to extend his rule.
The army then
selected Lieutenant Colonel Isaac Zida as transitional leader, overriding an
earlier claim by the army chief of staff.
But on Sunday there
were signs of discontent with the appointment as thousands gathered in the
capital Ouagadougou to demand a return to civilian rule, in line with the West
African country's constitution.
Witnesses said
prominent opposition leader Saran Sereme and an army general, along with a
crowd of their supporters, headed to the RTB Television site on Sunday
afternoon to declare themselves in charge of the transition but were thwarted
by the army. Sereme denied this on local news website Burkina 24, saying she
was brought to the station by force.
Gunshots rang out at
the station and the channel was taken off the air for several hours. One person
in the crowd was killed, an army spokesman said, calling for calm.
"The army does
not want power. But the anarchy needs to stop. Any violation will be punished
with the utmost energy," said Auguste Barry, referring to the incident at
the television station earlier in the day.
Shortly afterwards,
presidential guards moved in to prevent access to Ouagadougou's central Place
de la Nation, the site of violent demonstrations against Compaore last week in
which three people were killed and the parliament set ablaze.
BETRAYAL BY
ARMY
Earlier, local
people voiced outrage over what they saw as an attempt by the army to hijack
their uprising and criticized the role of Zida, a large bespectacled man little
known outside military circles whose trademark is a red beret.
One citizen
carried a placard saying "Zida = Judas" while another said "Zida
- get out of here".
"They are
coming from Kossyam to enslave us," said protester Sanou Eric, referring
to the country's presidential palace. "This is a coup d'etat. Zida has
come out of nowhere."
"I am here
to stop the army from stealing our victory," said another protester,
Boubacar Sow.
The head of the
United Nations Office for West Africa joined the United States and the African
Union in rejecting the army's seizure of power but expressed cautious optimism
about a return to civilian rule. Washington has also called for a power
transfer to civilian authorities.
"We are
hoping for a transition led by civilians in line with the constitution,"
Mohammed Ibn Chambas said.
"He (Zida)
said he will reflect and try to work with the U.N., African Union and the
Economic Community of West African States and to find an acceptable agreement
which conforms to the constitution," said Chambas, adding that sanctions
were a possibility if there was no progress.
Under Burkina
Faso's constitution, the head of the National Assembly should take office if
the president resigns, with a mandate to organize elections within 90 days.
However the army has dissolved the legislature and suspended the constitution.
REGIONAL ALLY
Compaore, who
seized power in the small, impoverished country in a 1987 coup, became a key
ally of the United States and former colonial power France in
operations against al Qaeda- linked groups in West Africa.
Locals blame
Compaore for not doing more to tackle poverty in the nation of 17 million
people by reinvesting government earnings from the gold and cotton sectors.
Diplomats say
one reason why Compaore was so reluctant to leave power was his fear of
prosecution on human rights charges, possibly linked to the death of left-wing
revolutionary and former president Thomas Sankara, dubbed "Africa's Che
Guevara".
Neighboring Ivory Coast confirmed
on Saturday that Compaore had arrived there with his family and entourage but
did not specify where he was staying.
The events in
Ouagadougou are also being carefully followed by a generation of long-serving
African leaders in Benin, Congo Republic
and Democratic Republic of Congo who are also approaching the constitutional
limits of their terms in office.
The United
States and other Western countries have urged leaders to respect their
constitutions, although analysts say that external pressure to democratize may
be governed by strategic interests.
Washington can
freeze military cooperation with Burkina Faso if it deems a coup has taken
place.
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