Burkina Faso crisis: Blaise Compaore faces new protests: (OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso) Protesters are gathering for a second day in the Burkina Faso capital Ouagadougou, calling on President Blaise Compaore to resign immediately. Opposition figures used social media overnight to call for new protests. They are angry at Mr Compaore, who responded to a day of violence by saying he would stay in power for a year under a transitional government. He agreed not to seek another term in office after angry protesters torched government and parliament buildings. The creation of a transitional government was announced by army chief General Honore Traore, who said it would “be put in place in consultation with all parties”. He also declared the dissolution of parliament. “A return to the constitutional order is expected in no more than 12 months,” Gen Traore added, without giving no further details. UN chief Ban Ki-moon’s special envoy for West Africa, Mohamed Ibn Chambas, is expected in Burkina Faso to try to ease the crisis, the UN said. Opponents of Mr Compaore were seen gathering in Ouagadougou’s main square, Place de la Nation, and outside the army headquarters on Friday. There were reports of a tense stand-off at the army HQ, with a huge crowd shouting: “Fulfil your responsibilities or we will do so ourselves.” An umbrella group of the main opposition parties is currently meeting to decide how to respond to Mr Compaore’s address late on Thursday, in which he refused to step down. The president agreed to hand over to a democratically elected government only once the transitional administration had completed its 12-month term. He had originally planned to seek re-election by pushing a constitutional amendment through parliament that would have lifted the limit on presidential terms. But the move triggered Thursday’s demonstrations, the most serious yet against Mr Compaore’s rule. At least one person was killed in the protests, says BBC Afrique’s Yacouba Ouedraogo in the capital. The main opposition leader, Zephirin Diabre, said dozens of protesters had been killed across the country by the security forces in a “barbaric escalation of violence”. The military fired live bullets to try to disperse protesters who had occupied parliament, our correspondent says. Protesters also surged towards the presidential palace, and a government helicopter flying overhead fired tear gas at them, Reuters news agency reported. Witnesses say dozens of soldiers joined the protest, including a former defence minister, Gen Kouame Lougue. Protesters demanded his installation as president, our reporter says. The city hall, the homes of MPs, and an upmarket hotel in Ouagadougou were also set ablaze. Similar protests hit the south-western city of Bobo Dioulasso, and other towns in the poor West African state. State television went off air after protesters ransacked its headquarters. Mr Compaore first took power in a coup in 1987, and has won four disputed elections since then. A former soldier, he has faced outbreaks of violence on several occasions, including a military mutiny in 2011. Correspondents say he has always managed to stay in power by using a combination of conciliation and moderate force. But the current tensions have been building for several months, and it is not clear whether he can survive this time. Mr Compaore is a staunch ally of the US and France, which uses Burkina Faso as a base for military operations against militant Islamists in the Sahel region. But the country is one of West Africa’s poorest, and is vulnerable to changes in world prices for cotton, the economic mainstay of many Burkinabes. (BBC)Original link Read More goo.gl/GQrZve (y) ✍comment ☏share
Posted on: Fri, 31 Oct 2014 10:50:21 +0000
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