Army chief takes charge in Burkina Faso after protests
Burkina Faso’s armed forces chief General Honore Traore says that he has taken charge of the west African state after former president Blaise Compaore resigned.
Protesters stormed a parliament building in the capital city of Ougadougou on Thursday in a day of violence aimed at stopping a parliamentary vote that would have allowed President Blaise Compaore to seek a fifth term in office.
On Friday, Mr Compaore had remained defiant and pledged to remain in office for another year. He said he would only step down once a transitional government completed its 12-month term.
He also said he was lifting a “state of siege” he had declared earlier. In a concession to the protesters, the government withdrew the bill from consideration.
However, state news service Burkina24 (in French) reported that army chief General Honore Traore would take charge of a transitional government.
Government dissolved
At a news conference in the capital Ouagadougou, an army spokesman read out the statement while the general sat next to him.
“The national assembly is dissolved. The government is dissolved. A transitional body will be set up in consultation with all the forces of the nation in order to prepare for the return to normal constitutional order within a period of 12 months at the latest.”
French support
France welcomed the resignation, saying the move “allows a solution to be found to the crisis”. “France recalls its support for the constitution and thus for early, democratic elections,” it said in a statement issued by President Francois Hollande’s office.
“The chief of the general staff of the armed forces offers condolences to the families of victims and asks for calm and restraint in all the cities and countryside of Burkina Faso and invites them to go about their business in peace and serenity,” said the spokesman.
Black Spring
The move came after tens of thousands of angry protesters packed the streets of Ouagadougou on Thursday to demand Compaore’s departure, storming parliament and setting it on fire and ransacking state television.
At least three protesters were shot dead and scores wounded when security forces opened fire on the crowd.
Commentators have also linked Burkina Faso’s protests to a wider recent history of revolution and unrest. Opposition activist Emile Pargui Pare told the AFP news agency: “30 October is Burkina Faso’s Black Spring, like the Arab Spring.”
