Burkina Faso’s military declared it’s in control of the nation after presidential guards stormed a Cabinet meeting and seized the President and the Prime Minister – days before the general elections.
Guards detained interim President Michel Kafando and other government ministers during the raid in the capital Wednesday, the United Nations said.
It’s unclear where the guards took the President, Prime Minister Isaac Zida and the other officials.
Hours after their detention, an unidentified military official took to the airwaves Thursday and said the military has “decided to put an end to the deviant transitional regime.”
The official announced that Gilbert Diendere, an ex-general and adviser to former President Blaise Compaore, is the new leader.
The interim government failed to establish a “democracy based on consensus,” the military official said on national television.
The official highlighted a series of steps the military is undertaking that include removing the transitional president from office, dissolving the government and forming a broad coalition that will focus on policies that will lead to inclusive elections.
The United Nations condemned the leaders’ detention.
“This incident is a flagrant violation of Burkina Faso’s constitution and transitional charter,” U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon said in a statement. “The United Nations stands firmly behind the transitional authorities and President Kafando.”
French President Francois Hollande appealed for the leaders’ release and the reinstatement of the transitional authorities.
Days before the raid in Ouagadougou, a commission had recommended the disbanding of the presidential guard unit, which is loyal to Compaore, the former president. Compaore was in charge of the presidential guards during his decades in power.
Protesters toppled Compaore last year after he expressed a desire to extend his 27-year rule. He stepped down after days of mass protests and the military briefly took over before Kafando was appointed. (News Express, CNN)