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| Military in Burkina Faso Stands Ready to Quell Coup | Military in Burkina Faso Stands Ready to Quell Coup |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso — Army units in the capital of Burkina Faso were poised on Tuesday to put down a coup that was carried out last week by allies of the former president. | OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso — Army units in the capital of Burkina Faso were poised on Tuesday to put down a coup that was carried out last week by allies of the former president. |
| About 150 members of the Presidential Security Regiment, an elite unit loyal to the former president, Blaise Compaoré, arrived in buses at a military installation under armed escort as the army set a 10 a.m. deadline for their surrender. Outside the installation, Camp Sangoulé Lamizana, anticoup protesters demonstrated in support of the army. | |
| “Ouagadougou is under the control of the army,” the military’s chief of staff, Brig. Gen. Pingrenoma Zagré, said. Troops could be seen at strategic points throughout the capital here, after having arrived Monday night. | |
| The army said it would move to disarm the entire 1,200-member regiment, according to military sources. But as of midday Tuesday, Gen. Gilbert Diendéré, the leader of the coup and a former chief of staff to Mr. Compaoré, remained at the presidential palace, surrounded by fellow members of the regiment. He said he remained the head of the junta, Reuters reported. | |
| Last week, the regiment — known by its French abbreviation, R.S.P. — stormed a cabinet meeting, removing the interim president, Michel Kafando, and the prime minister, Lt. Col. Isaac Zida, and declaring General Diendéré in charge. As of Tuesday morning, Mr. Kafando had sought refuge in the French Embassy here, and Colonel Zida had been released from house arrest, in what the coup’s leaders called a conciliatory act. | Last week, the regiment — known by its French abbreviation, R.S.P. — stormed a cabinet meeting, removing the interim president, Michel Kafando, and the prime minister, Lt. Col. Isaac Zida, and declaring General Diendéré in charge. As of Tuesday morning, Mr. Kafando had sought refuge in the French Embassy here, and Colonel Zida had been released from house arrest, in what the coup’s leaders called a conciliatory act. |
| Sporadic protests in support of the interim government continued in Ouagadougou and other cities, though many residents were staying at home, fearful that the standoff between the military and the presidential guard could erupt in violence. | Sporadic protests in support of the interim government continued in Ouagadougou and other cities, though many residents were staying at home, fearful that the standoff between the military and the presidential guard could erupt in violence. |
| The army’s actions were a striking turnabout in the situation here. | The army’s actions were a striking turnabout in the situation here. |
| On Sunday, West African negotiators, led by President Macky Sall of Senegal, announced a compromise, under which elections originally scheduled for Oct. 11 would be held by Nov. 22. The proposal would also allow loyalists of Mr. Compaoré to run. General Diendéré was reportedly ready to see Mr. Kafando return to office as part of the compromise, brokered by the Economic Community of West African States, but opponents of the coup worried that he was merely trying to play for time. | |
| Opponents of Mr. Compaoré, including many ordinary citizens, denounced that compromise. Mr. Compaoré was overthrown last October in a popular uprising after he tried to amend the Constitution to extend his 27-year rule. His opponents fear that his faction will try to return. | |
| Pressure on the coup’s leaders has been building. The United Nations secretary general denounced the coup; the African Union has suspended Burkina Faso’s membership; and the French government has called for the restoration of the interim government. Burkina Faso, then known as Upper Volta, was a French colony until 1960. |