Burkina Faso President Blaise Compaore on Friday in Ouagadougou ceded power after tens of thousands of protesters flooded central Ouagadougou to press him to resign.
“I am sure to have fully executed my duties and will now step down in the supreme interest of the country,’’ he said.
Compaore called for an election within 90 days.
The president said he was stepping down to prevent a division within the army and to maintain democratic gains.
An army spokesman also announced the president’s resignation, receiving cheers from protesters he was talking to on the central Place de la Revolution square.
The spokesman did not say who was now in charge of the West African country.
Unconfirmed radio reports said Compaore was travelling by car toward the south of the country.
French President Francois Hollande earlier said he was sure that “President Compaore will take the right decisions in the coming hours.’’
Protest rallies were reported to be taking place also in other parts of the West African country.
The 63-year-old took power in a 1987 coup.
He was re-elected four times since 1991 in elections, the transparency of which was questioned.
Constitutional limits introduced in 2005 prevent Compaore from running for president in 2015.
