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Lieutenant Colonel Assumes Power in Burkina Faso after President Flees

Lieutenant Colonel Assumes Power in Burkina Faso after President Flees
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The second in command of Burkina Faso's presidential guard, Lieutenant Colonel Isaac Zida, said on Saturday he had taken power after deposed President Blaise Compaore reportedly fled the capital.

Lieutenant Colonel Assumes Power in Burkina Faso after President FleesZida declared a rival claim by army chief Navere Honore Traore was "obsolete" in a televised speech.

The tussle for power comes after an extraordinary week of violent protest against Compaore's 27-year rule that saw parliament stormed and set ablaze.
Zida, who is leading a group of young army officers, said he had assumed "the responsibilities of head of the transition and of head of state" to ensure a "smooth democratic transition".

"The aspirations for democratic change" of the Burkina youth "will be neither betrayed, nor disappointed," he said.
He told journalists that the former president, who was said to have fled the capital Ougadougou, was "in a safe place" and his "safety and well-being are assured".
Earlier, Zida ordered the closure of the country's borders.
A French diplomatic announced that Compaore was traveling south towards the town of Po near the border with Ghana.
The source said he was still in the country and had not asked for refuge in France, the former colonial power.
The uprising, which has drawn parallels with the Arab Spring, was sparked by plans to change the constitution to allow Compaore to stand once again for elections next year.

Army chief Traore stated on Friday that he was assuming power as head of state, a day after he ordered the dissolution of the government and a dusk-to-dawn curfew.
But many protesters are deeply opposed to him taking power, seeing him as a close ally of Compaore.
One opposition leader, Benewende Sankara, described Traore's move as a "coup".

Another opposition chief, Zephirin Diabre, told AFP he hoped the two military factions would forge an agreement.
"We await the army's plans for the transition. We will tell them what we think," he said.
Many of the tens of thousands massed on the streets of the capital have called for retired general and former defense minister Kouame Lougue to take control, shouting: "Lougue in power!"

France's President Francois Hollande vowed that Paris would "contribute to calming" the situation in its former colony, while Washington urged "a transfer of power in accordance with the constitution".
The EU called for the people of Burkina Faso to have the final say in who rules their country.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team

 

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