OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso (AP) – Burkina Faso coup leader has apologized to the nation and says he will hand over power to a civilian transitional government.
The statement issued by Gen. Gilbert Diendere to journalists in Burkina Faso comes just as the military threatened Monday to forcibly disarm the presidential guard responsible for last week’s coup.
The heads of the National Armed Forces said troops would be converging on the capital of Ouagadougou to try to disarm the junta without bloodshed. But the announcement raised fears of violent clashes.
Diendere said the junta also was allowing for the release of the interim prime minister who has been under house arrest since the coup.
Regional mediators are pushing for new, more inclusive elections no later than the end of November.