Categories: News

Burkina Faso Coup Leaders Release Interim President Kafando?

According to coup leaders, Burkina Faso’s interim President Michel Kafando (pictured) has been freed and returned to his official residence. Yet, Kafando is yet to be seen publicly, reports the BBC.

RELATED: Military Take Over Interim Burkina Faso Government in Coup

On Wednesday, Burkina Faso’s interim government was toppled by coup leader Gen. Gilbert Diendre and the presidential guard who are loyal to former Burkinabe President Blaise Compaore.

Not long after detaining both Kafando and Prime Minister Isaac Zida (pictured), coup leaders made their official statement of takeover on television, declaring that the transitional president has been removed and the transitional government and the national council have also been dissolved effective immediately.

It was also explained that they came to the decision to release Kafando as a part of “…easing tensions and [for] the general interest.”

Prime Minister Zida, who initially placed himself in power after Compaore stepped down, is yet to be released.

Senegalese President and Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Chairman Macky Sall is reportedly on his way to Burkina Faso’s capital, Ouagadougou, along with Beninese President Thomas Boni Yayi to mediate, after coup leaders agreed to the “principle of dialogue.”

OUAGADOUGOU, BURKINA FASO – SEPTEMBER 17: Protestors burn tires to block the roads during protests against a coup in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, on17 September 2015. Protests have sparked in Ouagadougou after Presidential guard officers seized power in a coup. (Photo by Olympia de Maismont/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)

Protesters chant slogans against the presidential guard in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso on Sept. 16th.(Reuters/Joe Penney)

People protesting against the presidential guard block the traffic in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, September 16, 2015. REUTERS/Joe Penney

Since Wednesday’s coup, between three to 10 people have died during protests against the presidential guard.

Before the coup, the nation was just weeks away from holding presidential elections on October 11th.

RELATED: UPDATED: BURKINA FASO POLITICIANS, MILITARY AGREE TO TRANSITIONAL GOV. & ELECTIONS

Abena Agyeman-Fisher

Abena Agyeman-Fisher is the Editor-in-Chief of Face2Face Africa. Most recently, she worked for Interactive One as the Senior Editor of NewsOne, she worked for AOL as the News Programming Manager of Black Voices, which later became HuffPo Black Voices, and for the New York Times Company as an Associate Health Editor. Abena, a Spelman College graduate, has been published in Al Jazeera, the Daily Beast, New Jersey’s The Star-Ledger, the Grio, BlackVoices, West Orange Patch, About.com, the Source, Vibe, Vibe Vixen, Jane, and Upscale Magazines. She has interviewed top celebrities, icons, and politicians, such as First Lady Michelle Obama, Senior Advisor to the President Valerie Jarrett, Civil Rights activist and diplomat Andrew Young, comedian Bill Cosby, Grammy Award-winning singer Jill Scott, actress and singer Queen Latifah, Olympic Gold winner Cullen Jones, international supermodel Alek Wek, and five-division world champion boxer Floyd Mayweather. Most recently, she served as the First Lady’s press reporter during President Barack Obama’s U.S.-Africa Summit, Young African Leaders Institute event, and the 2013 presidential trip to Senegal, Johannesburg, Cape Town, and Tanzania. Abena is also a 2015 International Women's Media Foundation Africa Great Lakes Fellow, where she reported on women candidates and Chinese sweatshops in Tanzania for CNN and Refinery29.

Recent Posts

‘It felt really scary’ – 14-year-old Nigerian ballet sensation on learning he’s largely blind in one eye

Anthony Madu, the 14-year-old Nigerian dancer from Lagos who gained admission to a prestigious ballet…

2 days ago

‘I remember the day when 56 dollars would change my life’: Wayne Brady reveals humble beginnings

Actor-host Wayne Brady recently opened up about his early financial struggles in his now thriving…

2 days ago

This 1-year-old loves to greet people at Target, so the store hired him as its youngest employee

Mia Arianna, also known as @mia.ariannaa on TikTok, helped her son become an honorary team…

2 days ago

Postman drives 379 miles at his own expense to deliver lost World War II letters to a family

Alvin Gauthier, a Grand Prairie USPS postman, recently went above and beyond to brighten a…

2 days ago

Maj. Gen. Fatuma Gaiti Ahmed becomes Kenya’s first-ever female air force head

Maj. Gen. Fatuma Gaiti Ahmed is the first female commander of the air force and…

2 days ago

All Benjamin E. Mays High School seniors gain admission to HBCU Morris Brown College in surprise announcement

Benjamin E. Mays High School brought together its 272 senior class members for a meeting…

2 days ago

Meet the formerly incarcerated single mom who has gone viral for passing bar exam on first try

Afrika Owes' emotional response to learning that she had passed the bar exam on her…

2 days ago

New York attorney accused of hiring hitman to kill Zimbabwean ex-wife sentenced

A 49-year-old New York attorney was on April 26 sentenced to 10 years in federal…

2 days ago

Cher, 77, who is dating 38-year-old Alexander Edwards, explains why she dates younger men

During an appearance on The Jennifer Hudson Show on Wednesday, pop legend Cher opened up…

2 days ago

11-year-old accidentally shot to death by 14-year-old brother with stolen gun

Authorities in Florida said an 11-year-old boy was accidentally shot and killed by his 14-year-old…

2 days ago

16-year-old Ethiopian Hana Taylor Schlitz breaks sister’s record to become the youngest graduate from TWU

The famous Taylor Schlitz family is making headlines once more as the youngest of the…

3 days ago

Tahra Grant is reportedly the first Black woman to be Chief Comms Officer at a major Hollywood studio

Sony Pictures Entertainment has appointed Tahra Grant as its Chief Communications Officer. She replaces Robert…

3 days ago

How Ashley Fox quit her Wall Street job and built a startup to financially empower those Wall Street would never talk to

Meet Ashley M. Fox, the founder of Empify and the first in her family to…

3 days ago

‘It wasn’t worth it’ – Tyra Banks says the first time she drank alcohol was when she was 50

Tyra Banks, the iconic former host of Dancing With the Stars, has made a delightful…

3 days ago

Brazilian woman who wheeled dead uncle to bank to withdraw his money is being investigated for manslaughter

A Brazilian woman named Érika de Souza, 42, is under investigation for manslaughter after authorities…

3 days ago