Burkina Faso army uses gunfire to clear thousands from streets of capital

Burkina Faso’s army cleared thousands of
protesters from the capital and opened fire at state
TV headquarters on Sunday, killing one person, as
it sought to restore order after 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 on Sunday 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
site to declare themselves in charge of the
transition but were thwarted by the army. Sereme
denied that on local news website Burkina 24,
saying she was brought to the station by force.
Gunshots rang out at the station and the channel
was taken off the air for hours. One person in the
crowd was killed, an army spokesman said, calling
for calm. “The army does not want power. But the
anarchy needs to stop. Any violation will be
punished with the utmost energy,” said the
spokesman.

Soon after, 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.
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 carried a placard saying “Zida Judas” while
another read “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. Washington has also called for a
power transfer to civilian authorities.
“We are hoping for a transition led by civilians in
line with the constitution,” Mohammed Ibn
Chambas said.

“He [Zida] said he will reflect and try to work with
the UN, African Union and the Economic
Community of West African States, and to find an
acceptable agreement which conforms to the
constitution,” said Chambas, adding that sanctions
were a possibility if there was no progress.
Under Burkina Faso’s constitution, the head of the
National Assembly should take office if the
president resigns, with a mandate to organise
elections within 90 days. However, the army has
dissolved the legislature and suspended the
constitution.

Compaore, who seized power in the small,
impoverished country in a 1987 coup, became a
key ally of the United States and former colonial
power France in operations against al-Qa’ida-
linked groups in West Africa.
Locals blame Compaore for not doing more to
tackle poverty in the nation of 17 million people by
reinvesting government earnings from the gold
and cotton sectors.

Diplomats say one reason why Compaore was so
reluctant to leave power was his fear of
prosecution on human rights charges, possibly
linked to the death of left-wing revolutionary and
former president Thomas Sankara, dubbed
“Africa’s Che Guevara”.
Neighbouring Ivory Coast confirmed on Saturday
that Compaore had arrived there with his family
and entourage but did not specify where he was
staying.

The events in Ouagadougou are also being
carefully followed by a generation of long-serving
African leaders in Benin, Congo Republic and
Democratic Republic of Congo who are also
approaching the constitutional limits of their terms
in office.

The United States and other western countries have
urged leaders to respect their constitutions,
although analysts say that external pressure to
democratise may be governed by strategic
interests.

Washington can freeze military cooperation with
Burkina Faso if it deems a coup has taken place.