Burkina to reinstate interim government after coup: Benin

Burkina Faso will return to civilian rule and an interim government led by President Michel Kafando will be reinstated, reversing a military coup, Benin's President Thomas Boni Yayi said.

Burkina Faso Gen. Gilbert Diendere walks alongside Senegal President Macky Sall Source: AAP

"We are going to relaunch the transition underway - a transition led by civilians, with Michel Kafando," he told reporters after a meeting with coup leader General Gilbert Diendere in the capital Ouagadougou.

The coup was condemned by the United States, former colonial power France and the United Nations, who also demanded the resumption of a democratic transition.

The military coup quashed hopes of a smooth transition in a country that had become a beacon for democratic aspirations in Africa and was set to hold presidential elections on October 11.