Crisis in Burkina Faso: President and minister apparently arrested by soldiers - explanation expected

Created: 2022-01-24 13:03

Two men drove past a checkpoint in front of a military base in Ouagadoudou, Burkina Faso, on January 23, 2022.

© Sam Mednick/dpa

In the West African country of Burkina Faso, President Roch Marc Kaboré has apparently been arrested by mutinous soldiers.

He is in a military camp.

Ouagadougou – In Burkina Faso*, President Roch Marc Christian Kaboré has been arrested by mutinous soldiers, according to information from security circles.

In addition to Kaboré, the head of parliament and the ministers are also in the hands of the soldiers in a barracks in the capital Ouagadougou, according to several security sources on Monday.

The West African country was already shaken by unrest at the weekend;

shots were fired in several barracks.

However, the government denied a military coup.

Burkina Faso: President in military camp?

Mutinous soldiers want to make a statement

The head of state of the West African country was driven to a military camp in the capital, Ouagadougou.

The German Press Agency refers to a high-ranking soldier who wanted to remain anonymous.

The mutinous soldiers would make another statement.

The building of the national television station in the capital was already surrounded by them on Monday morning.

There had already been violent protests against the government on Saturday, and there were also violent clashes between demonstrators and security forces.

President Kaboré then issued a night curfew*.

A day later, soldiers fired shots in several barracks across the country, saying they were demanding the dismissal of some top army chiefs and better equipment.

Residents of the capital later reported gunshots near the president's private residence.

Burkina Faso: President arrested by soldiers - government recently rejected reports of taking power

As recently as Sunday, the government had declared that there was no "army takeover" and that the political institutions were "currently" not under threat.

She rejected corresponding reports in the online networks and called on "the population to keep calm".

West African Burkina Faso is one of the poorest countries in the world.

The country, like other states in the Sahel zone, is also fighting attacks by Islamist militias, some of which are linked to the al-Qaeda network or the jihadist militia Islamic State (IS).