AU orders Burkina army to hand over power

Burkina Faso’s military has been given two weeks to hand over power to a civilian.

This ultimatum according to the BBC was given by the African Union on Monday.

[contextly_sidebar id=”8IxfSwEEp02IUmJuDijC5SMC8ltXRvtc”]President of Burkina Faso, Blaise Compaore in an attempt to amend the nation’s constitution to extend his 27-year rule quit last Friday after four days of protests and fled to neighboring Ivory Coast.

The military then took over the reigns of power and according to the AU, the takeover by the military was unconstitutional.

Meanwhile, the Chairman of the Economic Community of West African State (ECOWAS), President John Mahama, has charged the parties involved to “show the necessary restraints and to refrain from taking actions which will exacerbate an already fragile situation.”

According to ECOWAS, it will continue to “work closely with the people of Burkina Faso and the international community to ensure sustainable peace and stability in Burkina Faso.”

It however said it will take further actions in accordance with its Normative Frameworks, if and when deemed necessary.

The army seized power on Friday after Compaore’s resignation and named Lieutenant Colonel Isaac Zida as the leader of a transitional government.

The military had already said a civilian-led transitional government would be established as quickly as possible.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Hannah Tetteh told Radio Ghana that government was monitoring the situation in the country and would consider evacuating Ghanaian nationals should the crisis deepen.

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By: Efua Idan Osam/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Follow @osamidan