Burkina Faso's president announced he will continue on as leader despite calls from both the head of the opposition as well as the public for his resignation.
Protesters took to the streets of the capital Ouagadougou on Thursday, looting and setting fire to government buildings and a hotel, the BBC reported. At least one person has been killed in the riots sparked by President Blaise Compaore's attempt to amend the constitution to allow him to extend his 27-year rule.
On Friday, opposition leader Zephirin Diabre urged locals to continue the "pressure by systematically occupying public spaces" to let the president know he is not wanted, despite Compaore's calls for negotiations.
"The opposition has said and will say again that the precondition for any discussion relating to a political transition is the departure, pure and simple and without condition, of Blaise Compaore," Diabre said according to the BBC.
The demonstrations came the same day the nation's parliament was dissolved and military officials announced a "transitional body [would] be put in place in consultation with all parties," the BBC reported.
Burkina Faso's constitution limits presidents to only two terms of five years each. Compaore, who won two extra terms beyond the limit, would have been allowed to run in the 2015 elections if his amendment was accepted.
Compaore abandoned his plans to amend the constitution but said he will stay on until November 2015, the end of the 12-month transitional government. He told Reuters on Friday he believes the situation- the worst the poverty-stricken country has seen since he first came to power in 1987- can be solved through talks.
But protesters made it clear they want Compaore to step down immediately, raising concerns his refusal could send the West African nation into turmoil.
Demonstrator's occupied the capital's main square, Place de la Nation, and the army headquarters. Parliament, a hotel in Ouagadougou and the houses of several politicians were also set on fire, the BBC reported.
At the army headquarters, a standoff allegedly occurred with an angry crowd, which was heard shouting, "Fulfill your responsibilities or we will do so ourselves."
