REPUBLIKA.CO.ID,  OUAGADOUGOU - Tens of thousands of people took to the streets of Burkina Faso on Friday to press President Blaise Compaore to step down, a day after the army dissolved parliament and announced a transitional government in the face of violent mass protests.

Compaore has ruled the landlocked West African country since he seized power in a 1987 coup but events on Thursday - when he appeared on the point of being toppled by a popular uprising - have left it unclear who is in charge.

Long a bastion of stability in the turbulent Sahel region, Burkina Faso's crisis is being closely watched by military allies France and the United States, and by governments in the region where several long-standing rulers are approaching the end of their mandates amid rumbling of popular discontent.

Many protesters on the streets of the capital Ouagadougou said they wanted retired General Kouame Lougue, a popular former defense minister who was accused of trying to topple Blaise in 2004, to take charge on an interim basis amid frustration with the fractious political opposition.

"We want him out of power. He is not our president," said Ouedrago Yakubo, amid the huge crowd that gathered at the main Place de la Nation and in front of the army headquarters.

For several hours on Thursday, it seemed likely that Compaore's 27-year rule was coming to an abrupt end as opposition leaders held talks with Lougue and military top brass, as tens of thousands of protests faced off with the presidential guard outside the palace.

In a surprise announcement late on Thursday, however, Compaore said he would stay in office at the head of a transitional government until after elections. He also scrapped an unpopular plan to amend the constitution to allow him to seek election next year.

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