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President Blaise Compaore was seeking
his fifth term in office [AP]
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Long-time president Blaise Compaore
refuses to heed protesters demands, seeking to lead transitional government
instead.
Burkina Faso's president has refused to
resign in the face of violent protests that posed the greatest threat to his
27-year rule, saying instead he will lead a transitional government after
parliament was dissolved.
Protesters stormed the parliament
building in the capital city of Ougadougou on Thursday and set part of it ablaze
in a day of violence around the country to stop a parliamentary vote that would
have allowed President Blaise Compaore to seek a fifth term in office.
In a concession to the protesters, the
government withdrew the bill from consideration. But the move did not calm
protesters, and Army General Honore Traore, the joint chief of staff, later
announced that government and parliament had been dissolved and a new,
inclusive government would be named.
However, the General did not spell out
who would lead the transitional government.
At least one person was killed and
several others were wounded amid the unrest, authorities said, and a curfew was
put in place from 7 pm to 6 am.
'Duping the people'
After hours of confusion about whether
Compaore would hold on to power or even where he was, the president spoke
briefly on television and radio to stay he was still in charge and would not
step down.
"I am available to open
discussions with all parties," he said in a recorded address. The
transitional government will include representatives from all sides and work to
hold elections within 12 months.
But an opposition leader told AFP news
agency that the army's seizure of power amounted to a "coup", adding
that they consider the president's departure "non-negotiable".
Compaore "is again in the process
of duping the people," said opposition leader Benewende Sankara. "We
have been saying for a long time that he must hand in his resignation. His
departure is non-negotiable."
Growing unrest
In a sign of the growing unrest, crowds
also attacked the homes of government ministers and looted shops in the
country's second-largest city, Bobo Dioulasso, witnesses said.
"It is over for the regime!"
and "We do not want him again!" shouted demonstrators when they heard
that the vote on term limits had been stopped.
"It is difficult to say what
happens next, but things are out of control because the demonstrators do not
listen to anyone," said Ablasse Ouedraogo, an opposition lawmaker.
United Nations Secretary-General Ban
Ki-moon called on all parties to end the violence, and is "saddened over
the loss of life resulting from recent events," a statement said.
Mohamed Ibn Chambas, a UN Special
Representative, said he "deplores the deterioration of the security
situation" and is scheduled to visit the country on Friday.
In a bid to restore calm, military
leaders met Thursday afternoon with the influential traditional chief of the
country's largest ethnic group, the Mossi, according to Jonathan Yameogo, a
spokesman for the ruling party.
Burkina Faso has long been known for
its relative stability in volatile West Africa, though tensions have been
mounting over Compaore's plans to extend his rule.
He first came to power following an
October 1987 coup against then-President Thomas Sankara, Compaore's longtime
friend and political ally who ultimately was killed in the power grab.
Since then, Compaore has been elected
four times but the opposition disputed the results.
Source: http://www.aljazeera.com
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