Security sources and a West African diplomat have reported that,Burkina Faso President Roch Kabore has been detained at a military camp by soldiers.
This was after heavy gunfire took place around his residence on Sunday night in the capital Ouagadougou.
According to Reuters, Several armored vehicles of the presidential fleet, riddled with bullets, could be seen near the president’s residence on Monday morning. One was spattered with blood. Residents of the president’s neighborhood reported heavy gunfire overnight.
Although the government had denied rumors on Sunday that a coup was underway following gunfire that rang out for hours from several military camps, with mutinying soldiers demanding more support for their fight against Islamist militants, it is still unclear since the Government sources could not immediately be reached on Monday by the media.
Frustration has risen in the West African country in recent months due to the frequent killing of civilians and soldiers by the militants, some of whom have links to the Islamic State and al Qaeda.
Protesters had come out to support the mutineers on Sunday and ransacked the headquarters of Kabore’s political party. The government declared a curfew from 2000 GMT to 0530 GMT until further notice and closed schools for two days.