Burkina Faso’s army cleared thousands of protesters from the capital and fired warning shots at state TV headquarters yesterday as it sought to tighten its grip on power following the resignation of President Blaise Compaore two days ago.
Compaore’s 27 years in charge of the landlocked former French colony ended abruptly on Friday after two days of mass protests aimed at thwarting his bid to change the constitution to extend his rule.
The army then selected Lieutenant Colonel Isaac Zida as transitional leader, overriding an earlier claim by the army chief of staff.
But yesterday there were signs of discontent with the appointment as thousands gathered in the capital Ouagadougou to demand a return to civilian rule, in line with the West African country’s Constitution.
Witnesses said prominent Opposition leader Saran Sereme and an army general, along with a crowd of their supporters, headed to the RTB Television yesterday afternoon to declare themselves in charge of the transition but were thwarted by the army. Gunshots rang out at the station and the channel was taken off the air. There were no reports of anybody being injured.
Shortly afterwards, presidential guards moved in to prevent access to Ouagadougou’s central Place de la Nation – the site of violent demonstrations against Compaore last week in which three people were killed and the Parliament set ablaze.
Washington has also called for a power transfer to civilian authorities and a UN official warned yesterday of possible sanctions if Zida did not relinquish power.
Military sources close to Zida said yesterday he planned to meet with more than 40 Opposition parties during the day.
Earlier, local people voiced outrage over what they saw as an attempt by the army to hijack their uprising and criticised the role of Zida, a large bespectacled man little known outside military circles whose trademark is a red beret.
One citizen carried a placard that carried the wording “Zida = Judas” while another said “Zida – get out of here”.
“They are coming from Kossyam to enslave us,” said protester Sanou Eric, referring to the country’s presidential palace. “This is a coup d’etat. Zida has come out of nowhere.”
“I am here to stop the army from stealing our victory,” said another protester, Boubacar Sow.
The head of the United Nations Office for West Africa joined the United States and the African Union in rejecting the army’s seizure of power but expressed cautious optimism about a return to civilian rule.
“We are hoping for a transition led by civilians in line with the constitution,” Mohammed Ibn Chambas said.