Gen.
Gilbert Diendere, a close ally of former President Blaise Compaore has
been named the new leader of Burkina Faso, state television reports.
He
was also said to be the chief of staff to former President Blaise
Compaore, who is currently in exile after he was ousted in a popular
uprising last year after 27 years in power.
Presidential
guard officers in Burkina Faso seized power earlier today in a coup,
with shooting reported in the capital, Ouagadougou.
The
coup leaders have imposed a night-time curfew across the West African
state, and have ordered the closure of land and air borders, AFP news
agency reports.
The
headquarters of Mr Compaore’s Congress for Democracy and Progress (CDP)
party were ransacked in Ouagadougou as news of the coup spread, it
adds.
French
President Francois Hollande however condemned what he called a coup in
the former French colony, while calling for the immediate release of
interim President Michel Kafando and Prime Minister Isaac Zida, who were
detained at a cabinet meeting in the president palace on Wednesday.
The
transitional government were due to hand power to a new government
after elections on 11 October. Some of Mr Compaore’s key allies were
however barred from contesting the election.
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