Burkina Faso president back in power 1 week after coup

A protestor with a Burkina Faso national flag, right, demonstrate with others against the recent coup by burning a tires and making makeshift road blocks in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2015. The leader of a coup in Burkina Faso on Tuesday refused to heed a deadline for his men to return to barracks even after troops opposing the takeover poured into the capital. (AP Photo/Theo Renaut) A protestor with a Burkina Faso national flag, right, demonstrate with others against the recent coup by burning a tires and making makeshift road blocks in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2015. The leader of a coup in Burkina Faso on Tuesday refused to heed a deadline for his men to return to barracks even after troops opposing the takeover poured into the capital. (AP Photo/Theo Renaut)

By Associated Press September 23, 2015 1 min read

OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso (AP) – The interim president overthrown in a coup last week in Burkina Faso says he’s now back in power.

President Michel Kafando is expected to lead the West African country until new elections can be held.

Gen. Gilbert Diendere and his supporters had launched the ultimately unsuccessful coup less than a month before elections to choose a new president.

Burkina Faso’s army had stepped up the pressure on Diendere and his mutinous soldiers to cede power, threatening to disarm them by force if necessary.

The military said Wednesday it had reached an agreement with other members of Diendere’s force overnight.