Following the forceful resignation of the president of Burkina Faso, Blaise Compaore, the country’s army, politicians and civil society groups have agreed to a one-year political transition with elections in November 2015.
The highly stimulated crisis talks held on Wednesday in the country’s capital, Ouagadougou, and arbitrated by three West African presidents as well as religious and tribal chiefs, failed to elect the head of transitional government.
A statement issued in the capital shortly after the meeting said all parties involved in talks had unanimously decided that a prominent civilian personality should oversee the election processes.
The President of Ghana, John Mahama, who arbitrated together with his Nigerian counterpart, President Goodluck Jonathan, and Senegal’s Macky Sall, said the failure by all the parties involved to agree on the leader of the transitional government did not border him, adding that a transitional government would be installed soon.
“I believe that… in days rather than weeks, we’ll be able to achieve an agreement and install a transitional government,” he said.
Mahama added that they did not intend to take names back to the emergency ECOWAS meeting of African leaders holding on Thursday in Accra for consideration.
“It’s a decision for the people of Burkina Faso. They must be the ones to decide. Pain is still fresh in people’s mind.” He said.
The three African presidents had travelled to Burkina Faso to advocate the quick return of civilian rule after the military appointed one of its officers, Lieutenant-Colonel Isaac Zida, to run the affairs of the country following last week’s ouster of the country’s president.