The African Union (AU) has given Burkina Faso’s military a two weeks to hand over power to a civilian ruler or transitional government or face sanctions.

The AU said that while widespread protests forced the resignation of 27-year president Blaise Compaore, the Burkino Faso army acted unconstitutionally when Lt Col Zida seized power .

Zida has said that the military will cede power to a transitional government headed by a “consensus” leader, telling a gathering of diplomats and journalists in the capital Ouagadougou:

“Our understanding is that the executive powers will be led by a transitional body but within a constitutional framework that we will watch over carefully”

The military has not proposed any specific time-frame for the creation of the transitional body, but have said that it would be created as quickly as possible.

If power has not been ceded to a civilian body within two weeks, the AU has said that it would impose sanctions, which could include a travel ban on Burkina Faso’s military officials and the suspension of the country’s AU membership.

The comments form the AU come after the army launched a crackdown on protesters in Ouagadougou’s central square to protest against the military coup. Gunfire rang out as the military blocked former member of the ruling party Saran Sereme and former defence minister Kouamé Lougué, whose name was chanted by protesters, from appearing on state television to declare themselves interim leaders.