Burkina Faso military promises transition

Burkina Faso’s army, politicians and civil society leaders have agreed to a one-year political transition with elections in November 2015 following highly charged crisis talks.
The talks on Wednesday, mediated by three West African presidents and also attended by religious and tribal chiefs, failed to name a new leader to head the transitional government.
But a statement after the meeting said all parties had agreed that an “eminent civilian personality” should take the job.
Ghana’s President John Dramani Mahama, who mediated alongside his Nigerian counterpart Goodluck Jonathan and Senegal’s President Macky Sall, said he was not concerned about the failure to agree on a unity leader at this stage.
“I believe that … in days rather than weeks, we’ll be able to achieve an agreement and install a transitional government,” he said.
“Our intention was not to take names back to the ECOWAS summit,” he added, referring to an emergency meeting of African leaders due to be held in Accra on Thursday.
“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.”
The three presidents had travelled to Ouagadougou to press for the swift return of civilian rule after the military appointed one of its own, Lieutenant-Colonel Isaac Zida, to run the country following last week’s ouster of president Blaise Compaore.