Burkina Faso president steps down, calls for elections
Burkina Faso's President Blaise Compaore speaks pictured at the Presidential Palace in Ouagadougou on July 26, 2014. By Sia Kambou (AFP/File)
Ouagadougou (AFP) - Burkina Faso's embattled President Blaise Compaore announced on Friday that he was stepping down following violent protests demanding an end to his 27-year rule.
In a statement issued by the presidency and read on local television, Compaore declared a "power vacuum" in the west African country and called for "free and transparent" elections within 90 days.