Burkina Faso | Coup leader says awaiting regional decision

Anti coup protestors near the entrance to the Libya hotel were talks about the recent Burkina Faso coup are taking place

Burkina Faso’s coup leader said yesterday that negotiations are still ongoing even though a deadline given by the military for the junta to disarm has expired.
Gen. Gilbert Diendere, the coup leader who was head of an elite presidential guard until last year, said he awaits the results of talks by West African regional mediators in Abuja, Nigeria. He said that is likely where a solution lies.
Diendere said there is no use for confrontations at this time, and he is confident in negotiations.
“We will find a solution between brothers in arms to avoid confrontations,” he said.
Burkina Faso’s media reported that the junta had been given a 10 a.m. (1000 GMT) deadline to disarm. The National Armed Forces said it wanted the mutinous soldiers to lay down their arms and return to barracks without bloodshed.
Soldiers from around Burkina Faso poured into the capital, Ouagadougou, overnight in a show of force as the military has vowed to disarm the mutinous presidential guard behind last week’s coup yesterday, with force if needed.
“I call on the population of Burkina Faso to remain calm and to have confidence in the National Armed Forces who have reaffirmed their unfailing commitment to preserve the unity of the nation,” Gen. Pingrenoma Zagre said in a statement.
A civic organization told residents to remain in their homes. Brahima Ouedraogo, Ouagadougou, AP