Gunfire heard across capital as military seizes power in Burkina Faso coup

Soldiers have detained Burkina Faso’s stand-in president, prime minister and two other ministers in a military coup. Military spokesman Lt-Col Mamadou Bamba appeared on state TV on Thursday to announce a new “national democratic council” had taken control to end the “deviant regime”. It came a day after members of the presidential guard had barred the transitional leaders, including president Michael Kafando and prime minister Yacouba Isaac Zida, from leaving the presidential palace on Wednesday. Soldiers also fired warning shots to disperse a crowd of more than 100 protesters gathered in the central square in the capital, Ouagadougou. Sporadic gunfire continued to ring out from other areas of the capital early on Thursday morning. .

The transition has progressively distanced itself from the objectives of refounding our democracy

Military spokesman Lt-Col Mamadou Bamba

The apparent military coup – which raised condemnation from the United Nations, the U.S. and former colonial power France – quashed hopes that Burkina Faso would become a beacon for democracy in Africa. Last year, long-time leader Blaise Compaore was ousted in a popular uprising and elections were due to be held in a few weeks to replace him. But the presidential guard, a pillar of Mr Compaore’s regime, say they are unhappy that his supporters are barred from standing. In his announcement, Lt-Col Bamba said wide-ranging talks were being held to form a new interim government that would organise “peaceful and inclusive elections”.

He calls for the immediate liberation of all those arrested, for the interim authorities to be put back in place and for the continuation of the electoral process.

Spokesman for French president Francois Hollande

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