Coup leader General Gilbert Dienderé told AFP he feared there had been many deaths from the assault on the sprawling military base, which is next to the presidential palace in Ouagadougou.
The army “fired artillery,” Dienderé told AFP, adding that there had been families and a clinic inside the barracks.
“There must have been many deaths and injuries.”
It was not immediately clear how many people died.
After the army fired on the barracks with heavy weapons, and as their leader pleaded with his men to lay down their arms to “avoid a bloodbath,” the crack troops behind the September 17 coup stood down, the military said.
“The situation is calm. An assault was carried out; there was no confrontation,” said General Pingrenoma Zagre, the Burkinabe army’s chief of staff.
Military sources said troops were continuing to comb the barracks into the night.
Dienderé ready to face justice
The government issued a statement hailing the “liberation” of presidential guard (RSP) camps by “our valiant defence and security forces,” urging the public to now work together to boost national unity.
Ahead of the operation Diendéré told local media that commanding the RSP had "become a bit difficult... There are some troops who are out of control".
The general, saying he was no longer at the barracks but without giving details, said he was ready to face justice, and “at the disposal of my country’s judiciary”.
Ouagadougou airport was closed as troops locked down the area around the barracks of the RSP, ratcheting up the pressure on them to stand down.
Troops had deployed around the barracks with armoured cars and pickup trucks ahead of the operation as tensions escalated, with soldiers equipped with machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades stationed at several intersections.
Tense standoff
The army’s operation brought to an end a tense standoff between authorities and the presidential guard after they failed to disarm following the September 17 coup, with the army staging a lockdown around their barracks in the capital Ouagadougou.
Burkina Faso's army announced shortly before Tuesday’s operation it was giving "a last chance" to the coup plotters to "avoid a confrontation," military spokesman Lieutenant Aziz Ouedraogo said.
The recent unrest in Burkina Faso began when soldiers from the elite presidential guard stormed into a cabinet meeting in mid September and abducted interim president Michel Kafando and Prime Minister Zida, disrupting a transition period due to end with polls next month. Diendéré, a former spy chief, was named junta head the next day.
The interim government had been in place since ex-president Blaise Compaoré fled into exile following violent protests in 2014, and was charged with running the nation until presidential and legislative elections could be held on October 11.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP, REUTERS)
france24.com
30/9/15
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L'armée burkinabè contrôle la caserne des ex-putschistes...
ReplyDeleteLe gouvernement de transition burkinabè a appelé mardi soir à l’unité nationale et à la réconciliation, après avoir pris le contrôle de la caserne où s’étaient retranchés les ex-putschistes. Les soldats de l'ex-RSP refusaient de rendre les armes.
Le Burkina Faso tente de tourner la page du coup d'État. Après la prise mardi 29 septembre par l'armée burkinabè de la caserne où étaient retranchés des ex-putschistes, le gouvernement de transition a appelé mardi soir à l’unité nationale et à la réconciliation.
"Le gouvernement de la Transition (...) lance un appel au renforcement de la réconciliation et de l'unité nationale, et exhorte tout un chacun à œuvrer dans ce sens", a déclaré le pouvoir burkinabè dans un communiqué publié mardi soir. Promettant un bilan "ultérieurement", le gouvernement a assuré que "les places ou camps occupés par l'ex-RSP (Régiment de Sécurité présidentielle), notamment le camp Naaba Koom, ont été libérés par nos vaillantes Forces de Défense et de Sécurité".
De source militaire, l'armée loyaliste continuait en soirée à ratisser l'énorme camp qui jouxte le palais présidentiel. À l'issue d'un bras de fer entre anciens putschistes et autorités légales, l'armée avait lancé l'assaut en fin d'après-midi sur la caserne Naaba Koom II, où s'étaient retranchés des soldats du RSP réticents à désarmer............france24.com
30/9/15
Burkina Faso coup leader Gen Diendere 'held'...
ReplyDeleteGen Gilbert Diendere - the leader of last month's short-lived coup in Burkina Faso - is in the custody of the country's security forces, sources say.
Some reports suggest he earlier surrendered at an unnamed diplomatic mission in the capital Ouagadougou.
Interim President Michel Kafando was reinstated last week after intervention from the army and West African leaders.
The presidential guards' unit that carried out the coup is to be disbanded.....BBC
1/10/15