Burkina Faso army agrees to cede power

Burkina Faso's army will cede power to a transitional government and appoint a new head of state, Lieutenant-Colonel Isaac Zida, the country's interim president, has said.

"We are going to move very fast, but be careful not to commit a mistake that might damage our country," Zida said on Monday.

"We are not here to usurp power and to sit in place and run the country, but to help the country come out of this situation," Zida said, adding that a new head of state would be chosen following broad discussions with various groups.

His announcement came in the wake of crisis meetings late on Sunday and Monday between Zida and opposition leaders after thousands gathered to denounce his appointment in the central Place de la Nation - the scene of violent protests last week during which the parliament was set alight.

Zida did not specify that the proposed leader would be a civilian and did not provide a timetable.

The African Union's Peace and Security Council, meanwhile, decided on Monday to give the military two weeks to return the country to constitutional rule or face sanctions.

"We ask the armed forces to transfer power to the civil authorities, and the council has determined a period of two weeks for the transfer," Simeon Oyono Esono, head of the AU's Peace and Security Council, said on Monday following a meeting at the bloc's headquarters in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa.

"The African Union is convinced that the change has been against democracy. However, we know that popular pressure led to the resignation of the president.

"Those circumstances were taken by the armed forces to get into power, but it originated from the people," Esono said.

The army stepped into a power vacuum after Blaise Compaore, currently in neighbouring Ivory Coast with his family, was forced to resign the presidency last week in the wake of violent demonstrations over an attempt to extend his 27-year rule.

Naming Zida as leader on Saturday, the military had said it was acting in the interests of the nation and that "power does not interest us".

But its takeover has also sparked angry protests.

Zida also held meetings with French, American and EU diplomats, who also urged him to hand power back to civilian leaders.

Senior opposition figures also met with their leader Zephirin Diabre.