The Burkinabe government has suspended the planned vote to amend the nation’s constitution, that would have enabled President Blaise Compaore to extend his rulership by another five years. Compaore who took over power in 1987,in a coup which killed his bossom friend, Thomas Sankara, has spent unbroken 27 years in office.

The vote was to have been taken today, with indications that it would pass through.

But hundreds of pro-democracy operators stormed the National Assembly, ransacked the offices, burnt documents and destroyed computers.

This was despite a security cordon mounted by the police.

*More later