Interim President Of Burkina Faso Detained

Interim President Michel Kafando was detained by presidential guards together with other government ministers as the military of Burkina Faso declared they were controlling the nation. The president and prime minister were seized after a Cabinet meeting was interrupted by the guards, a few weeks before a general election.

It remains uncertain where the president and Prime Minister Isaac Zida were taken. A few hours after they were detained, an unidentified military official announced that they decided to end “the deviant transitional regime.”

The military official, who identified their group as the National Council for Democracy, also announced the new leader of the country, Gilbert Diendere. The former general provided advice to former President Blaise Compaore. Compaore stepped down in 2014 due to pressure from protestors.

The military official said a consensus-based democracy was not established by the interim government in Burkina Faso. The official revealed the steps the military was taking, including the removal of the transitional president, dissolving of the government, and the formation of a coalition concentrating on policies leading to inclusive elections.

People started to gather outside the presidential palace apparently protesting the takeover. South African National Editors Forum director Mathatha Tsedu said in an effort to control the crowd, soldiers fired their guns into the air.

Military Takes Over Burkina Faso - image credit: bbc.com

The detention of the leaders was condemned by the UN. UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon said in a statement that the incident violated the constitution and transitional charter of Burkina Faso. He added that the UN continues to support the transitional government along with the transitional president.

An appeal for the leaders to be released and the transitional government to be reinstated was made by President Francois Hollande of France.

A couple of days before the raid in the capital, the disbandment of the presidential guard unit was recommended by a commission. The unit was still loyal to the former president of the country.

Compaore was deposed by protestor last year after he considered extending his rule of 27 years. He bowed out after the protests and the country was taken over by the military for a short period of time. Kafando was later appointed as iterim president.

The general elections of Burkina Faso were scheduled to be held on October 11.

Posted by James Fried on Saturday September 19 2015, 8:02 AM EST. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under World. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0