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Thu 30 Oct, 2014 08:36 am
From the BBC website
Quote:Protesters angry at plans to allow Burkina Faso's President Blaise Compaore to extend his 27-year-rule have set fire to parliament.
Correspondents say the city hall and ruling party headquarters are also in flames.
A huge crowd is surging towards the presidential palace and the main airport has been shut.
MPs have suspended a vote on changing the constitution to allow Mr Compaore to stand for re-election next year.
Five people have been killed in the protests, among the most serious against Mr Compaore's rule, reports BBC Afrique's Yacouba Ouedraogo from the capital.
The military had earlier fired live bullets at protesters who had stormed parliament, he says.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-29831262
@Olivier5,
What starts off as a revolution can quickly turn into a coup.
Quote:A split has emerged within Burkina Faso's armed forces over who is leading the country following the resignation of President Blaise Compaore after 27 years in power.
The presidential guard's second in command, Colonel Isaac Zida, says he has assumed power as head of state.
Earlier, army chief General Honore Traore said he had taken over.
Crowds danced and cheered in the capital Ouagadougou after Mr Compaore's resignation was announced on Friday.
It came a day after protesters angry at his attempt to amend the constitution and extend his 27-year hold on the presidency set fire to parliament and government buildings.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-29861280
@izzythepush,
Change always entails risks. But the army and this particular colonel displays the usual good intentions:
Quote:Zida, the second in command of the presidential guard, said Friday he had assumed "the responsibilities of head of the transition and of head of state" to ensure a "smooth democratic transition".
"The aspirations for democratic change" of the Burkina youth "will be neither betrayed, nor disappointed", he said.
Speaking on television early Saturday, Zida said the ousted president was "in a safe place" and his "safety and well-being are assured".
In neighbouring Ivory Coast the presidency confirmed reports that Compaore, who left Ouagadougou on Friday according to French diplomatic sources, was in the country.
http://news.yahoo.com/power-struggle-burkina-faso-president-flees-103605949.html
Just once, I'd like to see somebody who wasn't military take over.
"Emile Fardelone, CEO of Burkina Faso Automotive, has taken control . . . "
Burkina Faso Names Michel Kafando as Transitional President
By Simon Gongo
November 17, 2014 2:38 PM EST
The authorities in Burkina Faso named former Foreign Minister Michel Kafando as transitional president to help return the West African nation to democracy after a military takeover.
Kafando, 72, was appointed early today by a committee of representatives from the army, religious groups and civil-society organizations. He will be inaugurated tomorrow, according to the army. The interim leader will choose a prime minister to select a 25-member cabinet, and won’t be eligible to run in elections next year.
Kafando pledged to work to establish “social justice, tolerance and democracy” in a statement handed to journalists in Ouagadougou, the capital. A former ambassador to the United Nations, Kafando was president of the UN Security Council for a year.
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