Burkina Faso coup not the right way

Burkinabe presidential guard that seized power in Burkina Faso showed that Blaise Compaore, the deposed ruler of the fragile West African State is still influential since he dramatically went into exile to Ivory Coast after ruling with an iron fist for 27 years.

An elite unit of only 1,300 men kidnapped an interim president, his prime minister and two cabinet ministers who were in the transitional government just before the country held its first democratic election on October 11.

The coup sympathisers justify their actions by saying that the transitional government passed laws to exempt Blaise Compaore’s supporters from taking part in the forthcoming elections.

Already innocent civilians have lost their lives while others were injured. The African Union has suspended Burkina Faso while the UN and France, the former colonial power, have condemned the coup. Mediators should move with speed and avert more needless losses of lives. In the 21st century one should not be thinking about military coups.

General Gilbert Diendere should return power to the civilian interim leaders pending election.