crack regiment, which civic bodies want disbanded.
Military chiefs have urged Kafando to form a purely civilian government, thus getting rid of Zida, who also serves as minister of defence.
Zida made himself more unpopular in June for overseeing a reform to the military code making it possible to promote a lieutenant-colonel to general “in exceptional circumstances”.
“We’ve had military men who have been heads of state in this country,” a top general staff officer told AFP, recalling that Compaore took power as a captain, like his predecessor and one-time comrade Thomas Sankara. “Nobody has tried to give themselves a higher rank.”
A senior RSP officer said that to end the crisis, the regiment was “completely placing itself in President Kafando’s hands”.
“If he doesn’t make good decisions or takes too long, we’ll be forced to withdraw and let the soldiers do as they want,” the officer warned. “We can’t calm them down indefinitely.”
Kafando’s “call for help”, as political analyst Siaka Coulibaly described his plea to the people, could be a bad omen when troops are restless.
Last Sunday, Kafando dismissed security minister Colonel Auguste-Denise Barry in a move widely seen as a step to appease the army. A key supporter of Zida, Barry became an RSP target in its bid to obtain purely civilian rule.
The government took another blow on July 13 when an African regional court overturned electoral legislation that had banned several individuals and political parties linked to Compaore from standing at the polls.
In a binding decision, the Court of Justice in the 15-nation Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) upheld suits from seven Burkinabe parties and 13 individuals protesting at rights violations.
Burkina Faso is affected by “much amateurism in government”, worsened by frequent “interference” by civil society, Zida’s special adviser Abdoulaye Soma acknowledged.
Uncertainties hang over the planned poll. The former presidential party has designated Eddie Komboigo as its candidate, without knowing whether he can stand.
Compaore’s former foreign minister Djibrill Bassole has been expected to run for office, but was barred by military code reforms.
However, Burkina’s lawyer in the regional court case, Mamadou Savadogo, pledged that the electoral code would be amended to ensure compliance with the ruling. Kafando has already appointed a council of elders to help.
Presidential candidate and former minister Ablasse Ouedraogo is confident. “We may see trouble here and there, but the political maturity of the Burkinabe people will enable us to see through the transition, with clean and transparent elections.
“Nobody is prepared to head into chaos,” he said.