[JURIST] The interim government of Burkina Faso on Thursday apprehended the leader of the week-long military coup in September, announcing that he will face military justice. Gilbert Diendere [DW Akademie report] was a general in the national army and the alleged leader of the the group known as the Presidential Security Regiment (RSP) [NYT report]. Diendere is associated with another two other coups in the West-African nation, one in 1987 [BBC report] that retains significance for the ideology of the RSP. The 1987 coup marked the start of the 27-year rule of Blaise Compaore [Economist report]. Diendere was Compaore’s former chief of staff. The first meeting of the reinstated interim government of Burkina Faso disbanded the RSP and dismissed the ex-minister of security. RSP forces are refusing to disarm [AP report]. The RSP is incentivized by a recent modification to the electoral code that banned former members of the ruling party [Al Jazeera report] from running for political office. The interim government submitted a proposal before the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) [official website] in Nigeria 10 days ago. ECOWAS is working with the UN to stabilize the transition government [ECOWAS press release] before elections on October 11.

Compaore resigned in October 2014 [BBC report] after a military takeover and protests against his plan to issue a constitutional amendment that would extend his 27-year term. In August Burkina Faso’s constitutional court rejected [JURIST report] a presidential candidate from Compaore’s Congress for Democracy and Progress Party, which marked the sixth time a candidate from that party had been rejected. In January Amnesty International urged the national government to investigate [JURIST report] excessive use of military force against anti-government protesters when Compaore exited from power.