Two ex-presidents attend meeting called by Junta leader on Burkina Faso future

Two former presidents of Burkina Faso attended a meeting called by the country's Junta leader Lt. Col. Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba to discuss the situation in the West African country on Friday.

The meeting, devised by Damiba, who has appointed himself interim president, was an attempt to discuss Burkina Faso's future amid escalating jihadi violence linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group that has killed thousands and displaced nearly 2 million people.

The most controversial attendee was former president Blaise Compaore, who returned to Ouagadougou from exile on Thursday.

Compaore, ruled Burkina Faso with an iron fist for nearly 30 years, seized power from his long-time friend and revolutionary leader Thomas Sankara in a 1987 coup, and was found complicit in Sankara's murder recently. He has been in exile in neighboring Ivory Coast since 2014.

Compaore attended the meeting together with Jean-Baptiste Ouedraogo, who ruled the country for nine months between 1982 and 1983 when it was known as Upper Volta.

Another two former heads of state could not attend for health and administrative reasons, and former President Roch Marc Christian Kabore -who was ousted by Damiba in January- was prevented from attending by protesters who surrounded his house.

In the statement on state television, Damiba defended his decision to allow Compaore to visit the country.

"To the Burkinabe who have expressed their opinions against our approach, we tell them that the process is not made to consecrate impunity, but to contribute to the search for solutions for a Burkina Faso of peace and cohesion," he said.

In the capital some protested the return of Compaore, while lawyers for the Sankara family have called for his arrest.