Burkina Faso’s army chiefs and French President Francois Hollande on Monday ordered coup leaders to lay down their arms as troops headed from the provinces towards the capital Ouagadougou.
France had condemned the military coup in Burkina Faso and urged its residents in the country to stay indoors. The former colonial power called for the release of those arrested, and for the return to government of interim authorities. “(President François Hollande) called for the immediate liberation of all those arrested, for the interim authorities to be put back in place and for the continuation of the electoral process,” the French leader’s office said in a statement. Contrasting claims of leadership Moumina Cheriff Sy, the head of the West African country’s transitional parliament, echoed the call and announced he would assume leadership until President Michel Kafando was freed. He asked the military to take “all measures” to stop the takeover. However, coup leaders have named the Presidential Guard’s General Diendere the new head of the transitional council. “The patriotic and democratic forces bringing together all the components of the nation. Source: One News Page
