Burkina : Army urges coup leaders to surrender or face attack

[Reuters] Troops loyal to Burkina Faso's interim government told soldiers behind a coup to disarm and surrender by 10 a.m. on Tuesday or face attack, a senior loyalist officer said.

Soldiers opposed to the rebellion, which was led by ex-spy chief General Gilbert Diendere and the presidential guard, left military bases across the West African nation and converged on the capital on Monday.

They entered parts of the city overnight, and loyalists said the elite presidential guard, which numbers around 1,200 soldiers, had begun negotiations on the conditions of its surrender.

"They have until 10 a.m. to lay down their weapons and surrender at the Camp Sangoule Lamizana," the loyalist officer said, referring to a military barracks west of the capital, Ouagadougou.

The coup derailed a delicate peace process in Burkina Faso, which had been preparing to head to polls on Oct. 11 for a vote aimed at restoring democracy after last year's overthrow of long time leader Blaise Compaore.

Heads of state from West Africa's regional bloc, ECOWAS, were due to meet in Nigeria's capital Abuja on Tuesday to discuss the crisis.

Source: Reuters