Crisis in Burkina Faso

This came a day after the military dissolved parliament and announced the formation of an interim government. DW has been talking to Mohamed Ibn Chambas, the UN Secretary General's Special Representative for Burkina Faso.

DW: What is being done to resolve this crisis?

We must do everything we can to help Burkina Faso and prevent the situation from deteriorating. That's why there will be a meeting of ECOWAS, AU and the UN in Burkina Faso on Friday. The UN Secretary General is very concerned about the situation. He has appealed to all parties in the conflict - demonstrators, the authorities and the army - to avoid violence or doing anything that could destabilize the situation.

What concrete steps are you taking to ease the situation in Burkina Faso?

We will be establishing contact with all the parties in this crisis - the authorities, the army - and with the driving forces in Burkinabe society - the political parties, trade unions, civil society, traditional and religious leaders. We need to converse with them so we can all work together for peace and stability.

Shouldn't measures be taken to prevent situations like the one in Burkina Faso - in which the president tried to amend the constitution in order to stay in power - from occurring in the first place?

We need credible, transparent and free elections in Africa - in the whole of Africa, not just in West Africa. As you are aware, there will be a number of important elections next year. First in Nigeria, then in Togo, Guinea, Ivory Coast and, of course, in Burkina Faso. We hope that we will be a position to prepare for these elections so that they will be transparent, free and credible in Burkina Faso and elsewhere.

Mohamed Ibn Chambas is the UN secretary general's special representative for Burkina Faso.