Protests continue in Burkina Faso

Tens of thousands of demonstrators were reported to be on the streets of Ouagadougou on Friday in a bid to keep up the pressure on President Blaise Compaore to step down after 27 years in office.

"Blaise, get out" chanted demonstrators gathered outside of the headquarters of the country's armed forces.

Earlier, the AFP news agency reported that opposition chief Zephirin Diabre had called on supporters to "keep up the pressure by occupying public spaces."

"A prerequisite for any discussion on any political transition is the unconditional departure of Mr. Blaise Compaore, pure and simple," Diabre said.

Demonstrations turn violent

Although protesters were back on the streets of Ouagadougou on Friday, the situation appeared to be far calmer than on Thursday, when thousands o f people- including soldiers took part in a demonstration which culminated with some storming the parliament building.

Smoke was seen rising from the building, after protesters managed to break through a security cordon, and charged through offices, setting fire to documents and burning cars outside.

State television and radio also ceased broadcasting after they too were attacked.

The military briefly imposed martial law in an effort to restore order, while at the same time saying it had dissolved parliament and would appoint an interim government, in which all major political parties would be represented.

Martial law was later lifted, and late on Thursday, the president, while rejecting the calls for his immediate resignation, pledged to step down next year.

"With regard to myself, I am available to open talks on a transitional period at the end of which I will hand over power," Compaore said in the statement broadcast on BF1 TV.

The president also confirmed that he had abandoned an effort to amend the constitution in order to allow him to run for a fifth term in office - a plan that had angered many and sparked the street protests, which began on Tuesday.

Compoare has led Burkina Faso since taking power in a 1987 coup. He has been elected four times since then, but the opposition has disputed the results.

pfd/ksb (AFP, dpa, Reuters, AP)