Gunfire erupted outside the headquarters of state television in Burkina Faso today as an opposition politician tried to announce she was in control of the West African country that was plunged into chaos days earlier after the president was forced out.
In the aftermath of the gunfire, the military made a show of force by deploying armored vehicles along all of the avenues leading to the national television and radio station offices, witnesses said.
The developments underscored the uncertainty about who was actually at the helm of Burkina Faso after longtime president Blaise Compaore resigned Friday after 27 years in power and fled with his family to Ivory Coast amid violent protests seeking his ouster.
Two different military officials had declared themselves in charge before the army confirmed Saturday that Lt. Col. Isaac Yacouba Zida was the transitional leader.
However, about 1,000 activists who had opposed Compaore's rule took to the streets of the capital today, where internal divisions already were apparent. Later in the day, supporters of opposition politician Saran Sereme went to the headquarters of state television, where witnesses said she planned to declare herself the interim president.
Sereme's efforts were blocked when army Gen. Kwame Lougue showed up at the studios and entered without speaking to journalists who were waiting there for the announcement.
