Burkina Army Hunts Last Putschists after Barracks Raid
Burkina troops were on Wednesday hunting the remaining guards behind a coup a day after storming their barracks as the EU hailed the end of the unrest and urged speedy elections.
Tuesday night's raid saw troops in the capital Ouagadougou firing heavy weaponry at the barracks of the elite presidential guard (RSP) who staged an abortive coup on September 17.
Although the unit formally abandoned their coup efforts last week -- allowing the interim leadership to resume office -- they refused to disarm under the terms of a peace deal, creating fresh tension with the military which came to a head late on Tuesday.
By Wednesday morning, it was still unclear if anyone had been killed or wounded in the assault.
The European Union hailed the end of the standoff, urging the government to quickly hold elections.
"The end of the clashes is an important step towards normalizing the situation in Burkina Faso," the EU's foreign affairs arm said in a statement.
"The first task now is to organize as quickly as possible, credible, transparent and free elections," it said.
The attempted coup took place just weeks before the landlocked west African nation was to hold its first presidential and legislative elections since veteran strongman Blaise Compaore was ousted in October 2014.
The first round of voting was to have taken place on October 11, although officials have said there will be a delay of several weeks due to the crisis.
By Wednesday morning, many soldiers had fanned out on the streets of the capital's Ouaga 2000 district, where the presidency and the RSP's sprawling military barracks are located, an AFP correspondent said.
Marksmen could be seen in position, their weapons pointed towards open areas as they scanned the horizon for missing guards from the elite unit which counts 1,300 men.
"We are looking for members (of the RSP). Some of them are hiding," one of the soldiers told AFP as he blocked access to the neighborhood.
Elsewhere in the city, life appeared to be regaining some semblance of normalcy with many venturing out onto the streets on mopeds, the most popular form of transport in Ouagadougou, the AFP correspondent said.
And hoards of workers could be seen having breakfast in roadside taverns.
"We're proud. We were the ones who won. There was no need for talking, just to attack (the RSP)," a driver called Momune Sigue told AFP.
"Now we want elections and Diendere must be tried," said this father of two.
By Wednesday morning, there was still no word on the fate of those who had been inside the barracks during the raid during which troops opened fire with heavy weapons, sending clouds of dust rising into the air.
Ahead of the assault, Ouagadougou airport was closed as troops locked down the area, deploying armored cars and pickup trucks throughout the neighborhood and stationing machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades at several intersections.
Speaking to AFP as the drama played out, coup leader General Gilbert Diendere, who was not at the site, said it was likely there were "many deaths and injuries". He said there were often families inside the complex which also houses a clinic.
But a soldier who entered the camp on Wednesday morning told AFP he had not seen any evidence that people had been killed.
"I have not see any bodies," he said.
Chief of Staff General Pingrenoma Zagre said late Tuesday that the camp was largely empty at the time of the assault.
Diendere, Compaore's former chief of staff, told AFP he was ready to face justice, saying he was "at the disposal of my country's judiciary."
His whereabouts on Wednesday was not immediately clear.
Ahead of the raid, troops arrested Djibril Bassole "in connection with the coup". He had served as foreign minister under Compoare and had been expected to run in the presidential elections, military and security sources told AFP.
One of the coup plotters' main demands had been that the transitional leadership lift a ban on Compaore's allies and supporters running in the elections.
Source: Agence France Presse
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