Burkina Faso's interim president Michel Kafando voiced reservations Monday about a regional proposal to end the crisis sparked by last week's military coup in the west African country.
"I have serious reservations about this draft agreement" which leaves "deep-rooted problems" without solutions, he said in an interview with RFI radio.
Kafando said he was "not a part of the negotiations" mediated by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) that came up with the plan.
Burkina was plunged into turmoil on Wednesday when soldiers from the powerful presidential guard regiment loyal to ex-leader Blaise Compaore, who was ousted last year, detained Kafando and prime minister Isaac Zida, himself a former deputy commander of the unit.
The RSP, an elite unit of 1,300 men, officially declared a coup the following day and installed General Gilbert Diendere, a close ally of Compaore, as the country's new leader.
Following the coup, Senegal's President Macky Sall, the rotating head of ECOWAS, undertook three days of mediation in a Ouagadougou hotel and on Sunday drafted a 12-point plan to end the crisis.
The deal provides for presidential and parliamentary elections to be held by November 22 at the latest, and, crucially, would allow for pro-Compaore candidates to take part after they complained about being excluded from elections planned for October.
The regional body also wants Diendere's regime "to restore the transitional institutions and president Kafando".
But civil society activists who played a major role in the uprising that toppled Compaore have condemned the proposals, with the main "Balai Citoyen" (Civic Broom) group branding the deal "shameful".
Kafando was also sceptical that any solution to the crisis would be achieved during an ECOWAS summit in Abuja on Tuesday.
"It would be difficult anyway given everything that has been proposed," he said, adding that he had "not been invited to this summit."
Kafando said he remained in his usual residence but "guarded by the presidential security" unit who were behind the coup.
He added he was visited by two ECOWAS mediators on Saturday but has not been contacted since then and only received a copy of the peace plan on Monday morning.
Kafando was not asked about the movements of loyalist troops on Monday from the provinces toward Ouagadougou and whose leaders had urged the coup leaders to "lay down their arms".
"Let me thank the Burkinabe people, and especially the young people, for their patriotism," he said. "They knew to say no to the coup carried out against the democracy of Burkina."
Groups of youths on Monday began putting up barricades and burning tyres in the outlying Ouagadougou districts of Zogona and Tampouy, shouting "Down with ECOWAS!" and slogans hostile to the presidential guard and its commander.
Burkina Faso’s interim president Michel Kafando voiced reservations Monday about a regional proposal to end the crisis sparked by last week’s military coup in the west African country.
“I have serious reservations about this draft agreement” which leaves “deep-rooted problems” without solutions, he said in an interview with RFI radio.
Kafando said he was “not a part of the negotiations” mediated by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) that came up with the plan.
Burkina was plunged into turmoil on Wednesday when soldiers from the powerful presidential guard regiment loyal to ex-leader Blaise Compaore, who was ousted last year, detained Kafando and prime minister Isaac Zida, himself a former deputy commander of the unit.
The RSP, an elite unit of 1,300 men, officially declared a coup the following day and installed General Gilbert Diendere, a close ally of Compaore, as the country’s new leader.
Following the coup, Senegal’s President Macky Sall, the rotating head of ECOWAS, undertook three days of mediation in a Ouagadougou hotel and on Sunday drafted a 12-point plan to end the crisis.
The deal provides for presidential and parliamentary elections to be held by November 22 at the latest, and, crucially, would allow for pro-Compaore candidates to take part after they complained about being excluded from elections planned for October.
The regional body also wants Diendere’s regime “to restore the transitional institutions and president Kafando”.
But civil society activists who played a major role in the uprising that toppled Compaore have condemned the proposals, with the main “Balai Citoyen” (Civic Broom) group branding the deal “shameful”.
Kafando was also sceptical that any solution to the crisis would be achieved during an ECOWAS summit in Abuja on Tuesday.
“It would be difficult anyway given everything that has been proposed,” he said, adding that he had “not been invited to this summit.”
Kafando said he remained in his usual residence but “guarded by the presidential security” unit who were behind the coup.
He added he was visited by two ECOWAS mediators on Saturday but has not been contacted since then and only received a copy of the peace plan on Monday morning.
Kafando was not asked about the movements of loyalist troops on Monday from the provinces toward Ouagadougou and whose leaders had urged the coup leaders to “lay down their arms”.
“Let me thank the Burkinabe people, and especially the young people, for their patriotism,” he said. “They knew to say no to the coup carried out against the democracy of Burkina.”
Groups of youths on Monday began putting up barricades and burning tyres in the outlying Ouagadougou districts of Zogona and Tampouy, shouting “Down with ECOWAS!” and slogans hostile to the presidential guard and its commander.
