Burkina Faso Gen. Gilbert Diendere, center, walks alongside Senegal President Macky Sall, right, after he arrived at the airport for talks in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, Friday, Sept. 18, 2015.Theo Renaut/The Associated Press
Burkina Faso's military on Friday released the country's interim president who was detained during a coup that dissolved his government, as soldiers blocked demonstrators from gathering in the capital.
This week's coup was led by members of a presidential guard still loyal to ex-President Blaise Compaore, who was ousted in a popular uprising last October after he angered people with an attempt to prolong his 27-year rule.
While protesters were thwarted in the capital of Ouagadougou, unrest flared in other regions of the country where some burned the homes of Compaore associates. The country's airport and land borders were opened, a day after they were closed by the new military rulers.
The junta released a statement Friday saying that interim President Michel Kafando had been freed from military custody. The former U.N. ambassador had been chosen to lead the political transition after Compaore's resignation until elections could be held. The vote was set for Oct. 11, though the new military leader now says that is too soon.
The presidential guard detained Kafando and the prime minister on Wednesday, and declared early Thursday that the transitional government had been dissolved.
Meanwhile, the presidents of Senegal and Benin landed in the capital of Burkina Faso where they were to meet with the junta, members of the opposition and other political groups. Benin's foreign affairs minister said the leaders would seek to restore constitutional order in Burkina Faso.
Gen. Gilbert Diendere — a former top aide to Compaore who was named on Thursday as the country's military leader — says he already has met with some members of the international community to try to establish a dialogue.
This week's coup has been met with sharp international criticism. U.S. National Security Adviser Susan Rice said Washington would "review our foreign assistance to Burkina Faso in light of evolving events."
"We are deeply disappointed that the self-interested actions of a few are threatening the historic opportunity that the people of Burkina Faso have to cast their ballots and build a new future for the country," Rice said in a statement.
Burkina Faso hosts French special forces and is an important ally of France and the United States in the fight against Islamic militants in West Africa.
The coup sparked protests in the streets of the capital, and the presidential guard opened fire with live ammunition, witnesses said late Wednesday. Associated Press journalists saw the bodies of at least six victims at a morgue on Thursday.