Enlarge image
Photo: OLYMPIA DE MAISMONT / AFP
Massive unrest broke out in the capital of Burkina Faso over the weekend, triggered by members of the army.
The government initially announced that there had been no attempted coup.
Now there are reports that President Roch Kaboré is being held in a military camp by mutinous soldiers, according to the Reuters news agency, citing several sources.
Earlier, shots were fired near the President's private residence.
At the same time, local residents reported again heavy gunfire from two barracks in the capital.
During the course of Sunday, soldiers had fired shots in several barracks in the country, claiming that some leading army chiefs should be dismissed and better equipment demanded.
Demonstrators set up roadblocks in the capital but were driven away by police.
Government imposes curfew
West Africa's economic community, Ecowas, said it supports the government. She called on the mutinous soldiers to engage in dialogue. The US embassy in Ouagadougou remained closed "due to ongoing security concerns." As recently as mid-January, the army had accused and arrested several soldiers of a coup attempt. On Saturday, hundreds of demonstrators called for Kaboré's resignation. A curfew was then imposed on Sunday evening. Between 8:00 p.m. and 5:30 a.m., nobody is allowed on the streets nationwide, as Kaboré announced by decree.
Burkina Faso is considered one of the poorest countries in the world and, with its 21 million inhabitants, is in a crisis due to climate change and increasing Islamist terror.
More than a million residents are considered internally displaced.
Many militias, some of whom have sworn allegiance to "Islamic State" (IS) or al-Qaeda, operate across the borders of Mali and the Central African Republic.
In December, President Kaboré sacked his Prime Minister Christophe Dabiré after he had officially tendered his resignation, resulting in the dismissal of his cabinet.
The decision was read without comment on the evening news.
svs/dpa/Reuters/AFP