Officers from the RSP linked to Compaore on Wednesday burst into a cabinet meeting and seized acting president Michel Kafando, prime minister Isaac Zida, and two ministers, before announcing their coup Thursday morning.
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The West African nation of Burkina Faso has been plunged into crisis by a military coup which has apparently overthrown its transitional government.
All borders into the country have been closed and several mobile units of the presidential guard, known as the Régiment de sécurité présidentielle (RSP), were sent to the capital to prevent any public gatherings, BBC correspondent Yacouba Ouédraogo reported from Ouagadougou.
Last June, Zida had to divert his plane to Ouagadougou Military Airport as he returned from an official visit to Taiwan to escape being arrested by the presidential guard.
He was an adviser to former President Blaise Compaore, who stepped down under pressure by protesters in 2014 after ruling for 27 years.
October 11th of this year was slated to hold nationwide elections and move Burkina Faso into a democratic government.
A former aide to ex-president Blaise Compaore, who was ousted in a popular uprising past year , was named the new head of state.
Interim parliamentary speaker Cheriff Sy denounced the takeover and in a interview with Radio France Internationale called on the people to “immediately rise up”.
“The president firmly condemns the coup d’Etat that has taken place in Burkina Faso“, the French presidency said in a statement.
On Thursday, soldiers fired warning shots to disperse a crowd of more than 100 people gathered in the central Independence Square to protest against the presidential guard, a Reuters witness said.
“It is the whole of the government, including the prime minister and the president, taken by a group of soldiers from the presidential guard”, said one senior military source.
Civil society organizations have called for protests on Thursday to block the power seizure, while the country’s main trade union has called for a general strike across the entire national territory until further notice.
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The spokesperson said the interim president was removed and the Council or equivalent of a Parliament was dissolved.
