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UN Security Council slams detention of Burkina Faso leaders

Xinhua, September 17, 2015 Adjust font size:

The Security Council on Wednesday slammed the detention of President Michel Kafando and Prime Minister Isaac Zida as well as a number of ministers of Burkina Faso and urged their immediate release.

The council members condemned the detention "in the strongest terms" and demanded that they be released safely and immediately, said a council press statement.

Media reports said that the presidential guards burst into a Cabinet meeting and arrested the interim president, prime minister and other leaders, fueling fear of a military coup. The guards were believed to be loyal to ousted leader Blaise Compaore.

Calling the detention "a flagrant violation of the Constitution and the Transitional Charter of Burkina Faso," the 15-member UN body urged all actors in Burkina Faso to refrain from any violence.

An election is due in less than a month to aim to complete a transition back to democracy after a popular uprising toppled former President Compaore last year.

The council called for the holding of free, fair and credible elections. "They urged all actors to respect the legitimate aspiration of the people of Burkina Faso for a peaceful transition," said the statement.

The UN secretary-general's special representative for West Africa, Mohamed Ibn Chambas, is in the capital of Ouagadougou and is working closely with the Economic Community of West African States, the African Union and other international partners to support and safeguard the transition in Burkina Faso, said statement. Endi