Burkina coup leaders want guarantees before disarming

OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso – The leaders of Burkina Faso’s week-long coup on Friday demanded guarantees for their safety before they disarm, a senior member of the putschist presidential guard said.

“The men are categorically opposed” to disarming without the guarantees, the source said.

“They have met a delegation from army headquarters to discuss the problem of their and their families’ safety. They have no guarantees in this respect.”

On September 16, the elite presidential guard, the RSP, seized interim president Michel Kafando, acting prime minister Yacouba Isaac Zida and two other government ministers, announcing a coup the following day.

But the new military regime, led by General Gilbert Diendere, stepped down under a mediation brokered by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and under pressure from the regular army.

The interim cabinet met in the prime minister’s office Friday, September 25, amid a major security presence. – Rappler.com