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 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 on Sunday afternoon to declare themselves in charge
of the transition but were thwarted by the army. Sereme denied this
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 several 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 Auguste
Barry, referring to the incident at the television station earlier
in the day.
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.
BETRAYAL BY ARMY
Earlier, local people voiced outrage over what they saw as an
attempt by the army to hijack their uprising and criticized the role
of Zida, a large bespectacled man little known outside military
circles whose trademark is a red beret.
One citizen carried a placard saying "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. 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 U.N.,
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.
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Under Burkina Faso's constitution, the head of the National Assembly
should take office if the president resigns, with a mandate to
organize elections within 90 days. However the army has dissolved
the legislature and suspended the constitution. REGIONAL ALLY
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 Qaeda- 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".
Neighboring 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 democratize may be governed by strategic interests.
Washington can freeze military cooperation with Burkina Faso if it
deems a coup has taken place.
(Additional reporting by Mathieu Bonkougou,; Writing by Emma Farge;
Editing by Gareth Jones and Eric Walsh)
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