An apology and a vow to end Burkina Faso siege
OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso — With troops converging on the capital and angry protests in the streets, the general who seized power last week in Burkina Faso has apologized to the nation and promised to hand power back to civilian authorities.
The coup leader, Gen. Gilbert Diendere, said in a statement Monday evening that, “given the seriousness of the security situation” and the risk of “chaos, civil war and massive violation of human rights,” he and his followers would stand down once a political compromise brokered by West African leaders was in place. The statement said the coup leaders “deplored the loss of lives, injuries and damage” from the political crisis and would “work for the cohesion of the army.”
The country has been in turmoil since the coup, which was mounted by an elite army unit loyal to the country’s former president, Blaise Compaore. He was forced from office last Octo- ber by mass protests against his plans to extend his tenure beyond the 27 years he had already held power.
The interim government that replaced Compaore barred his supporters from taking part in elections scheduled for this fall, and loyalists in the elite Presidential Security Regiment responded by staging the coup last Thursday, arresting the interim president, Michel Kafando, and the prime minister, Lt. Col. Isaac Zida.
After three days of tense negotiations, a regional team led by President Macky Sall of Senegal announced a compromise plan Sunday that called for Diendere to stand down, Kafando to be returned to office and allies of Compaore to be allowed to participate in the elections. Under the plan, the coup leaders would be given immunity from prosecution, and the election, originally scheduled for Oct. 11, would be held by Nov. 22.
Sall presented the compromise as the only way to prevent a worsening of the violence, which has killed around a dozen people and injured more than 100 others, but it was not clear at first whether either side would accept it. Diendere did not attend the news conference where the compromise was announced, and pro-Compaore protesters demonstrated against the deal in the capital on Monday.