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PARIS (AP) — President Francois Hollande says France helped secure the exile of former Burkina Faso leader Blaise Compaore to "avoid a bloodbath."
Compaore was forced from power Oct. 31 by opposition protesters angry that he was seeking another term after 27 years in power in Burkina Faso, a former French colony.
Hollande said in an interview on Thursday on France24 TV station that the fate of Compaore "can serve as a lesson."
He said: "You don't change the constitutional order out of personal interest."
The ex-leader of the West African nation first showed up in Ivory Coast then arrived in Morocco on Nov. 20. Hollande said he was there with his family.
A transitional government is now in power in Burkina Faso with elections expected next year.
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