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French press review 31 October 2014

The political crisis in the west African nation of Burkina Faso receives front-page coverage in this morning’s French papers.

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Amid growing confusion about who is now in charge of the country, Libération reports that President Blaise Compaoré has been toppled by the military, which joined a popular uprising.

Le Figaro says power is now in the hands of the army after the uprising against an attempt to amend the constitution to extent Compaoré's 27-year rule.

"Time up for tyrant of Ouagadougou!" shouts L’Humanité. The Communist Party daily says the Burkinabe and their military had had enough of the autocratic ways of the “puppet” who used intrigue to escape prosecution for the assassination of Burkina Faso President Thomas Sankara in a coup in1987.

Le Parisien publishes video clips of the violence that erupted in Ouagadougou on Thursday, exploring the factors which fuelled the popular revolt backed by a vox pop of some members of the anti-Compaoré coalition determined to champion a black African spring of their own.

La Croix underlines that Blaise Compaoré aged 63 is this year wrapping up a second five-year term after serving two seven-year ones under a previous constitution.

The Catholic newspaper says it was thanks to the protesters that parliament was unable to hold the extraordinary session which would have opened to way for a new five-year term for the veteran, who is barred from seeking another term by the current constitution.

Libération says that, while the traitor-turned-boss thought he could contain the national revolt by dissolving his government, it was too little too late as the military responded by announcing the creation of a transitional council.

Le Figaro expresses concern about the hard times France is facing to win the war being waged against jihadists in Mali after the death of a 10th French soldier serving with the Barkhane mission in the north of the country.

The right-wing newspaper also see the ambush of nine UN peacekeepers from Niger manning a security post on the border with Mali as another sign that the jihadists are regrouping in an attempt to reclaim the vast desert land extending from Mauritania to Sudan that used to be their sanctuary.

Is Halloween on the verge of becoming a security nightmare for France?

That’s the question floated by Libération as the country faces a series of attacks by masked individuals posing as clowns.

The left-leaning newspaper reports the case of two 14-year-olds in the north of the country in connection with a string of attacks and robberies. The diabolic buffoons reportedly told police they were simply testing their costumes ahead of the Halloween tonight on the 1 November.

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