COVID-19 Latest
World|politics|October 31, 2014 / 01:17 PM
Burkina Faso president defies calls to step down

AKIPRESS.COM - _78632004_78632002 Burkina Faso's President Blaise Compaore says he will stay in power for a year under a transitional government, following a day of violent protests demanding his resignation, reports BBC.

Earlier, demonstrators angered by his bid to extend his 27-year rule torched parliament and government buildings.

Mr Compaore said he would hand over power once the transitional government had completed its 12-month term.

He also said he was lifting a "state of siege" he had declared earlier.

In the previous announcement, Mr Compaore called for the military to implement emergency measures.

This was followed by a press conference where army chief General Honore Traore announced that a "transitional body [would] be put in place in consultation with all parties".

"A return to the constitutional order is expected in no more than 12 months," he said.

UN chief Ban Ki-moon's special envoy for West Africa, Mohamed Ibn Chambas, will fly to Burkina Faso on Friday to try to ease the crisis, the UN said.

All rights reserved

© AKIpress News Agency - 2001-2024.

Republication of any material is prohibited without a written agreement with AKIpress News Agency.

Any citation must be accompanied by a hyperlink to akipress.com.

Our address:

299/5 Chingiz Aitmatov Prosp., Bishkek, the Kyrgyz Republic

e-mail: english@akipress.org, akipressenglish@gmail.com;

Follow us:

Log in


Forgot your password? - recover

Not registered yet? - sign-up

Sign-up

I have an account - log in

Password recovery

I have an account - log in