EU calls on Burkina military to respect rights, peaceful protests

 The European Union called on the Burkina Faso military Sunday to respect the fundamental rights of the people, including to peaceful protest, after troops fired tear gas to disperse protesters in Ouagadougou denouncing a military power grab, AFP reports.

Military and security forces should live up to their responsibilities by ensuring "the security and rights of the people, including the right to demonstrate peacefully," the European Union's external affairs arm said in a statement.

The army stepped in after mass protests forced president Blaise Compaore to resign, naming an interim leader and facing off with thousands of protestors demanding the military return to barracks and allow civilians to manage a transition through elections.

The EU repeated that it hoped to see a civilian transitional authority in place which would prepare the ground for free and transparent elections as quickly as possible.

This was the best course of action "to respond to the legitimate aspirations of the Burkina Faso people and to maintain normal relations with the international community," the statement said.

That would allow in turn for "the continuation of significant development and cooperative" ties, it added.

The EU said it backed international efforts to help resolve the crisis in Burkina Faso and stood ready to help them.