While families and children huddle in their homes, General Diendéré and General Zagré try to talk it out in Ouagadougou, Diendéré in Kosyam (presidential palace) and attached military base, and Zagré controlling the whole city.  ECOWAS heads of state meeting in Abuja, with nobody representing Burkina Faso, apparently.

Normally, at this point there would have been a straightforward amnesty (of which there have been plenty in West Africa over the years).  The trouble is, Diendéré right now is the living, smiling face of impunity, of y’en a marre.  And he has clearly lost the game that he tried to play.  So amnesty will be very problematic.  Moreover, Diendéré like a clever crocodile has thrashed around in the muddy water so nobody can see clearly.  What is the status of the ECOWAS piece of paper that Macky Sall and the Senegalese government is saying Michel Kafando agreed to?  If Michel Kafando was imprisoned at the time (as he was) why would any international community give such an agreement any credibility?  Michel Kafando is still apparently in the residence of the French embassy in Ouagadougou.  Why have the reasonably legitimate president and the reasonably legitimate prime minister Yacouba Zida not been seen?  Were they poisoned by Diendéré so they are incapacitated?

The ECOWAS meeting has apparently ended, so in a bit of time the page should turn… we do not know how long this novel is going to be, but hope it ends up being a short story.