Samtidig indløb der diplomatiske protester fra omverdenen mod kupforsøget, anført af USA og Burkinas tidl. koloniherre, Frankrig.
President Michel Kafando´s and Prime Minister Isaac Zida´s detainment came two days after a commission recommended the disbanding (opløsning) of the presidential guard (RSP), BBC online reported Wednesday.
No injuries have been reported but there is said to be an air of panic in the capital with shops shutting early and many people heading home.
Violent mass protests that included setting parliament on fire forced long-serving Mr Compaore out of office in November 2014.
Mr Kafando and Lt Col Zida had been tasked with organising fresh presidential elections next month.
They and other officials were “taken hostage” by the RSP, the head of the transitional parliament, Moumina Cheriff Sy, said.
Their captors intention remains unknown: are they protesting against a plan to dismantle their controversial unit?
Or are they trying to take power less than a month before the first elections are held since the popular uprising last year?
Several radio stations have been taken off air and Mr Sy said military chiefs were trying to negotiate the officials’ release.
Stigende spændinger
Tensions have been building ahead of the poll scheduled for 11 October, BBC notes.
Members of Mr Compaore’s party have been declared ineligible (må ikke stille op). Those who supported the ex-president’s bid to amend (ændre) the constitution so he could seek another term are also banned from running.
There has been prolonged friction between the 1,300-strong RSP and Lt Col Zida, a former second-in-command of the group.
Then on Monday, a truth and reconciliation commission called for the disbanding of the unit amid accusations that it opened fire on unarmed protesters during last year’s protests.
Vred Ban Ki-moon
Meanwhile UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon voiced his outrage.
“This incident is a flagrant violation of Burkina Faso’s Constitution and Transitional Charter,” said Mr. Ban’s spokesperson in New York, according to the UN News Service.
Tilføjelse Globalnyt:
Også for Danmark vil et reelt kupforsøg være en slem streg i regningen. Burkina Faso har i årtier modtaget omfattende dansk udviklingsbistand og er blevet et slags ankerland for Danida i Vestafrika – verdens fattigste region.
“The United Nations stands firmly behind the transitional authorities and President Kafando. The Secretary-General notes the strong support of the people of Burkina Faso for a peaceful transition and urges compliance with the transitional calendar, including the upcoming elections”, noted he.
The Secretary-General’s Special Representative for West Africa, Mohamed Ibn Chambas, is in Ouagadougou and working closely with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the African Union and other international partners to support and safeguard the transition in Burkina Faso.
In early November 2014, thousands of Burkinabé protesters took to the streets in Ouagadougou, facing off with security forces outside the presidential palace amid deadly violence that included the ransacking of Government buildings and the state television headquarters.
Following the violence, Mr. Compaoré announced his resignation, ending his 27-year stay in office, and handed power over to the military.
By the end of that month, the country officially marked the transfer of power to Mr. Kafando, as the Transitional President.
A 26-member transitional government was subsequently appointed.
Se mere om FNs holdning på
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=49999#.Vfnx2ByQeKI
Og mere om “de stolte og ærliges land” – Burkina Faso – på
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burkina_Faso
