I regret staging this coup, says Burkina Coup leader Gilbert Diendere

Gilbert Diendere, who staged the botched putsch in Burkina Faso, has described it as “the biggest mistake”, saying he is ready to face the music

Michel Kafando was returned to office in a ceremony in capital Ouagadougou on Wednesday, overseen by leaders from Benin, Niger, Ghana and Nigeria who had helped negotiate an end to the crisis.

The presence of the foreign leaders signaled worldwide concern for Burkina Faso, an ally of the United States and France in their battle against Islamist militants linked to al-Qaida in the Sahel region. The transition is back and is resuming the exercise of power.The coup and the resulting unrest claimed the lives of at least 10 people while more than 100 were wounded. A member of the presidential guard died in clashes with loyalist forces on Monday. Following the deal, loyalist troops, who converged on the capital this week from bases across the country to disarm the coup leaders, were also not visible on the streets.It was clear that the old-style African coups, where military men push out governments and take over, are no longer sustainable, with regional and global leaders willing to cut aid, impose sanctions and isolate leaders who seize power.Compaore was president for 27 years, and his bid to additional prolong his rule prompted large road protests that led to his ouster.“We decided to give up because we knew the people were not in support of it. But what has put me in a good mood is the fact that we avoided confrontation”. But he did not attend Mr. Kafando’s speech and later said he regretted the coup.“The response by the population – especially given the history of the presidential guard and their abuses and that they were alleged to have killed numerous protesters in 2014 – that’s where I would say this is exceptional”, she said.Under its terms, the RSP agreed to stand down from the positions they had taken up in Ouagadougou, while the army also agreed to withdraw its troops and guarantee the safety of the RSP members as well as their families. Kafando was appointed last yearto guide the country towards democracy.It was unclear what would happen to the coup leaders or whether the presidential guard would be disbanded. Until then, he said Diendere would remain in charge.

The coup sympathisers justify their actions by saying that the transitional government passed laws to exempt Blaise Compaore’s supporters from taking part in the forthcoming elections. We have to find a way to make peace, stability…