Three West African presidents urged Burkina Faso on Wednesday to appoint a civilian transitional leader within days to guide the country to elections next year following the people’s overthrow of longtime ruler Blaise Compaore last week.
Ghana’s President John Dramani Mahama led the delegation from the West African bloc ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States) to help Burkina Faso plot a path to a civilian-led transition after the military named a senior army officer as head of state on Saturday.
Mahama, the current ECOWAS chairman, oversaw sometimes tumultuous talks with Lieutenant Colonel Isaac Zida, opposition politicians, Compaore’s supporters, religious leaders and civil society groups. There was a general consensus in favor of a civilian-led interim government, he said.
“I have confidence and I believe that in days, rather than weeks, the people will come out with an interim leader,” Mahama said while warning that delays in appointing a civilian administration could see the country punished with sanctions.
The African Union announced on Monday that although popular pressure led to the ousting of Compaore, the change had been undemocratic and stated that the body would apply sanctions if civilian rule was not reestablished within two weeks.
The United States said earlier this week that it had not yet decided if the military takeover constituted a coup, a distinction that would lead to an automatic suspension of military aid to one of the West’s key allies in the region.
The ECOWAS troika, which also included Nigeria’s Goodluck Jonathan and Macky Sall of Senegal, had earlier said it expected the transition period to last up to one year, maintaining a November 2015 date for presidential elections.
They recommended that members of the interim authority should not be permitted to stand in elections next year.