Burkina army vows unity government as protesters denounce power grab

Ouagadougou: Burkina Faso's military vowed to install a unity government after tightening its control over the west African nation on Sunday, firing tear gas and shots in the air to disperse protesters denouncing an army power grab.
       
Troops moved into Place de la Nation in the capital Ouagadougou and took over the national television headquarters in a show of force, despite calls by the international community and protesters for a return to civilian rule.
       
As international mediators brandished the threat of sanctions if the army refused to back down and allow a civilian transfer of power, the military pledged to put in place a transition government formed by "broad consensus".
       
The military had stepped into the power vacuum left by president Blaise Compaore, who was forced to resign in the wake of violent street demonstrations over his 27-year-rule of the impoverished country that some have likened to the Arab Spring.
       
But the army said that it was acting only with the interest of the nation at heart and that "power does not interest us".
       
"What is currently at stake is more than self interest," it said in a statement issued after Isaac Zida -- the man it named as interim chief -- met with opposition leaders.
       
International observers watching in alarm urged the army to return power to the civilians, with UN envoy for west Africa, Mohamed Ibn Chambas, saying that he and African leaders had pressed the demand in a meeting with the country's top military brass.
       
If the army refuses, "the consequences are pretty clear", he said. "We want to avoid having to impose sanctions on Burkina Faso."
       
The US State Department also called on the military to immediately transfer power to civilian authorities, while the European Union urged the army to respect the people's right to peaceful protest.
       
Hundreds of thousands of protesters, furious at plans to extend Compaore's rule in the impoverished landlocked country, had massed on the streets of Ouagadougou on Thursday, some going on a rampage and setting the parliament and other public buildings ablaze.
       
Under Burkina Faso's constitution, the speaker of parliament was supposed to step in as interim head of state following the president's resignation.
           
- 'Four presidents in three days' -
              
But the army instead named Zida, the second-in-command of the presidential guard, as head of the transitional authority.
       
Zida, 49, beat out an earlier claim by army chief Nabere Honore Traore to the top job, winning the military's endorsement on Saturday.
       
He said he was appointed to ensure a "smooth democratic transition" and promised to consult with the political opposition and civil leaders.
       
The army reiterated that stance after Zida met with opposition leaders, who, along with civil society leaders, had called Sunday's rally in protest at a military take over.
       
Several thousand people answered the call to protest, carrying banners bearing the slogans "The soldiers have stolen our revolution", "Zida get out!" and "Zida is Judas."
       
Some protesters also headed to the national television headquarters, where two opposition leaders made separate attempts to go on air to declare themselves interim chief.
       
Former defence minister Kouame Lougue -- whose name was chanted by thousands in the streets following Compaore's downfall -- told AFP: "The people have nominated me. I came to answer their call."
       
But the technicians walked out, interrupting transmission, also foiling a bid by Saran Sereme, a former member of the ruling party, to make her claim as leader of the transition.
       
"Compaore stayed 27 years, but that's no excuse to have four presidents in three days," said a bemused Burkinabe in a tweet.
       
West African regional bloc ECOWAS urged dialogue and restraint as one person was killed Sunday close to the television headquarters, where soldiers fired shots in the air to disperse protesters. The army said the victim was likely struck by a stray bullet.
       
Opposition figures have said around 30 people have been killed in a week of violent protests. Hospital sources told AFP that there had been at least six deaths, including two by gunshot wounds.
              
- Bitter disillusion -
              
The crisis in Burkina Faso -- known as Upper Volta in its era as a French colony before becoming independent in 1960 and changing its name in 1984 -- is the worst since a wave of unrest three years ago.
       
From March to June 2011, a wave of army mutinies swept the country, alongside public protests over high food prices, unemployment and the looting of property by troops.
       
Compaore was only 36 when he seized power in a 1987 coup in which his former friend and one of Africa's most loved leaders, Thomas Sankara, was ousted and assassinated.
       
In the manner of a number of sub-Saharan African leaders, he clung to power for the following decades, being re-elected president four times since 1991.
       
The uprising that finally forced him out was sparked by plans to change the constitution to allow Compaore to stand yet again for elections next year.
       
He leaves bitter disillusion behind. Burkina Faso languishes at 181 out of 187 countries on the UN Human Development Index.
       
Compaore and his wife meanwhile have taken refuge in neighbouring Ivory Coast where they are being put up in a luxury government mansion in the capital Yamoussoukro.