Story highlights
NEW: Military says it backs Lt. Col. Isaac Yacouba Zida of the presidential security guard
Two military officers had claimed presidential powers on Friday
Burkina Faso President Blaise Compaore said Friday that he resigned
Protesters stormed parliament as lawmakers considered extending the President's rule
Burkina Faso’s military on Saturday backed one of its officers to lead the country temporarily, seemingly settling what had been two officers’ claims to authority after the West African nation’s longtime president resigned.
The military’s leadership will support Lt. Col. Isaac Yacouba Zida as interim President until elections can be held, according to a military statement broadcast by the country’s TV stations.
That came a day after Zida and the top military official, Gen. Honore Nabere Traore, both claimed that they were in charge following the resignation of President Blaise Compaore, who stepped down Friday amid violent protests demanding an end to his 27-year rule.
Saturday’s military statement said Traore is among those backing Zida, who most recently was the deputy chief of the presidential guard.
Compaore and his family, meanwhile, departed the country and arrived in neighboring Ivory Coast on Saturday, the latter nation’s state-run Agence Ivoirienne Presse reported.
The resignation
Demonstrators on Thursday stormed Parliament, setting fire to the building. The protests came amid rising discontent about a high cost of living and Compaore’s attempts to amend the country’s constitution to help him extend his term.
Compaore had been in office since he took power after a bloody coup in 1987.
Faced with the demonstrations Thursday, Compaore initially dissolved the government and said he would stay in power until elections could be carried out.
But he changed his mind, and on Friday announced his resignation. Compaore said he stepped down to preserve peace in Burkina Faso – a key partner for Western countries in the campaign against Islamist militants.
Traore was the first to claim the presidency Friday, appealing for calm and calling for a return to a normal constitutional process.
But Zida then took to national television, declaring himself president until political parties could agree on a transitional governing body.
“I assume starting from today the responsibilities of head of this transition and head of state to ensure the continuity of the state,” he said.
Upon his resignation, Compaore appealed via Twitter for “free elections to be held in Burkina Faso within 90 days at the most.”
France, the former colonial ruler of what is today Burkina Faso, welcomed the President’s resignation and called for elections to happen quickly.
Flights in and out of Ouagadougou, the capital, have been suspended, according to the Burkina Faso Embassy in Washington. Embassy personnel told CNN that it was still issuing visas but that there were no flights at the moment.
The country was formerly known as the Republic of Upper Volta when it was established in 1958 as a self-governing colony under France.
CNN’s Faith Karimi, Pierre Meilhan and Elwyn Lopez contributed to this report.