A Burkinabe army official yesterday said that Burkina Faso’s embattled President Blaise Compaore had been ousted, prompting an outburst of cheers from protesters demanding Compaore’s resignation.
Burkina Faso’s armed forces head General Honore Traore said yesterday that he had taken charge of the west African state after Compaore’s resignation.
“As of today, Compaore is no longer in power,” Burkina Faso Army Colonel Boureima Farta told tens of thousands of protesters who had gathered in front of the army headquarters.
Photo: AFP
Farta spoke to the crowd shortly after noon, hoisted on the shoulders of other officers.
Compaore, who has been in power for 27 years, on Thursday rejected calls to step down following angry demonstrations over his plans to seek a constitutional amendment to allow him to extend his rule.
He said he would no longer seek another term, but would stay in power through next year under a transitional government.
Amid the protests, Taiwan’s diplomatic and support staff stationed in the nation were all reported to be safe, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday.
Ministry spokeswoman Anna Kao (高安) said the Republic of China embassy in the nation, one of Taiwan’s 22 diplomatic allies, has taken measures to ensure it is in contact with Taiwanese nationals and businesspeople there. The ministry has been in close touch with embassy staff, she said.
She added that the protest has not affected foreigners in the nation at this point.
Earlier yesterday, tens of thousands of people took to the streets of Burkina Faso to urge Compaore to step down, a day after the army dissolved parliament and announced a transitional government in the face of violent mass protests.
Compaore has ruled the landlocked West African nation since he seized power in a 1987 coup.
Long a bastion of stability in the turbulent Sahel region, Burkina Faso’s crisis is being closely watched by military allies France and the US, and by governments in the region where several long-standing rulers are approaching the end of their mandates amid rumblings of popular discontent.
Many protesters in the capital, Ouagadougou, said they wanted retired Burkina Faso Army General Kouame Lougue, a popular former minister of defense who was accused of trying to topple Blaise in 2004, to take charge on an interim basis amid frustration with the political opposition.
“We want him out of power. He is not our president,” Ouedrago Yakubo said among the huge crowd that gathered at the main Place de la Nation and in front of the army headquarters.
The square — the size of a sports stadium — and surrounding streets were packed with more protesters than any other day this week, according to a reporter —probably pushing the numbers into the hundreds of thousands.
People blew whistles and honked car horns, but there was no sign of the confrontations with security forces that accompanied Thursday’s protests, in which at least three people were killed.
The US on Friday praised Compaore’s decision to withdraw the bill that would have allowed him to seek an additional term and his decision to pass power to a democratically elected government, US Department of State spokeswoman Jen Psaki said in a statement.
The prospect of Compaore’s departure has raised fears of turbulence in a nation that shares borders with six other countries at the heart of the turbulent Sahel.
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