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There
have been jubilant scenes in the capital, Ouagadougou (Photo: AP)
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Burkina Faso's army has
reached the capital, Ouagadougou, to seek the surrender of the elite
presidential guard who staged a coup last Thursday. The presidential guard
had until 10:00 GMT to surrender or face an assault, a senior officer said.
Negotiations
between army chiefs and the presidential guard are under way, security sources
said. Both
the president and the prime minister have been released, as mediators try to
broker a deal.
Coup
leader Gen Gilbert Diendere says he will step aside once regional leaders
endorse a plan including an amnesty for the coup plotters.
Prime
Minister Isaac Zida was seized by the presidential guard in last week's coup.
France's
ambassador to Burkina Faso, Gilles Thibault, has also tweeted
that interim President Michel Kafando, who was arrested last Wednesday, has
been released from house arrest and is now at the ambassador's residence.
Gen
Diendere seems to be backed into a corner by international and national
pressure, and on Monday thousands gathered to celebrate what they believed was
his defeat, says the BBC's Maud Jullien in Ouagadougou.
But
in an interview with the BBC, the general said he would only step aside once an
agreement proposed by West African leaders was confirmed.
The
proposed deal would give him and his troops full amnesty, and allow candidates
of former ruler Blaise Compaore to run for presidency in November.
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| The whereabouts of coup leader Gen Gilbert Diendere are unknown (Photo: EPA) |
President Michel Kafando had
been due to hand over power after elections due in October
Speaking
from a secret location, Gen Diendere said: "Ready to surrender? We are not
there yet... We wish to continue the discussions and we say to all that we are
ready to implement Ecowas' [West African regional group's] decisions."
He
also apologized to the population, saying an apology was "the least we
could do".
'Surrender
without bloodshed'
The
Ecowas plan should be discussed by West African heads of state in Nigeria later
on Tuesday.
The
presidential guard is loyal to ousted President Compaore and installed Gen
Diendere as the new leader last week.
Since
then, at least 10 people have been killed and more than 100 injured in clashes.
Burkina
Faso's army ordered the presidential guard to disarm before it marched on the
capital.
"We
must now secure the surrender of the [coup leaders] without gunfire or bloodshed,"
Col Serge Alain Ouedraogo, of the Burkinabe police, told AFP news agency.
Image
copyright AFP Image caption There has been anger on the street at Ecowas' plan
to end the crisis
Ecowas'
plan includes the return to civilian government, an amnesty for the soldiers
behind the coup and elections by the end of November.
But
on the streets, there was resentment at the proposals, in particular the
amnesty.
"We
have no need of Ecowas here, nor the international community," said one
man protesting against the coup.
Gen
Diendere, who was the chief of staff to Mr Compaore, led the coup a month
before elections had been due in the landlocked country.
International pressure has
been building, with former colonial power France warning of "consequences"
if coup leaders did not lay down their weapons.
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