The military leader of Burkina Faso, who seized control of the West African nation in January, himself agreed to formally step down after being overthrown in a junior officers’ coup, officials said Sunday. Lt. Col. Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba’s resignation was offered “in order to avoid clashes,” according to a spokesperson for the mediation efforts. The move was conditional, mandating that coup leaders guarantee his safety amid civil unrest that saw security forces fire tear gas at protesters outside the French embassy, where Damiba was said to have taken refuge earlier on Sunday. France denied the rumors, which came from the new junta, headed by self-appointed leader Capt. Ibrahim Traoré, according to the Associated Press. A junta spokesperson appeared on state television to call on citizens to “desist from any act of violence and vandalism,” the AP reported. A French spokeswoman remarked to the Associated Press on Sunday that the situation in Burkina Faso remained “very volatile.”