Burkina Faso Descends Into Crisis After Military Takeover
- Former chief of staff heading junta says army supports coup
- Protests in capital leave at least three people dead
Michel Kafando. Photographer: Issouf Sanogo/AFP via Getty Images
This article is for subscribers only.
A military junta took power in Burkina Faso, throwing the country into a crisis a month before an election to replace the transitional government.
The National Council for Democracy announced on television Thursday that it had seized control of Africa’s fourth-biggest gold producer. It’s led by General Gilbert Diendere, the army chief of staff under Blaise Compaore, the president who was swept from power last year after mass protests against an attempt to extend his almost three-decade rule.