Blaise Compaore, army chief 'under arrest'

Blaise Compaore, army chief 'under arrest'

Saturday, November 1, 2014 6:57 am


Compaore: arrested

Compaore: arrested

The deposed president of Burkina Faso, Blaise Compaore, and the chief of army staff,Navere Honore Traore are in ‘safe place’, Colonel Isaac Zida who has announced himself as the new head of state said.

Analysts said “safe place is a euphemism by in military parlance for ‘protective arrest’.

Zida at a press conference said the “safety and well-being of the two men are assured.

Before declaring himself as the head of state, Zida was the second in command of the presidential guard.

Meanwhile, the head of Burkina Faso’s opposition Zephirin Diabre said on Friday he hoped the two military factions claiming to have seized power will forge an agreement following the resignation of President Blaise Compaore.

Asked about the apparent splits in the army, Diabre told AFP: “It is up to them to organise themselves. I hope they will make an agreement.”

Following the resignation of long-time ruler Compaore on Friday, army chief General Nabere Honore Traore said he was assuming the “responsibilities of the head of state”.

But a few hours later, a group of young officers, led by Lieutenant Colonel Isaac Zida, the second-in-command of the presidential guard, announced that a “transitional body” would be established to restore constitutional order.

“We await the army’s plans for the transition. We will tell them what we think,” said Diabre, adding that he hopes the transition to a civilian government will last less than a year.

He said he was satisfied with the president’s resignation, but that there remained many challenges for the “reconstruction of the country”.


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