The soldiers who mutinied in Burkina Faso allegedly captured the president, Roch Marc Christian Kabore, after a night of shooting and riots in the capital Ouagadougou: the French broadcaster France 24 writes, citing local sources.
The military declared that it had taken control of the country and announced the beginning of a democratic transition phase. The Russian press agencies report it. “From today I attribute to the leaders of this democratic transition the responsibility of guaranteeing the continuity of the state,” said one of the leaders of the uprising on Twitter. An employee of Burkina Faso state television previously reported that dozens of soldiers had gathered in front of the station’s building to make a statement.
The French broadcaster claims that shots have been heard coming from the area where the residence of President Kabore is located. Local residents, quoted by the French broadcaster, say that a helicopter flies over the presidential residence in Ouagadougou.
The government yesterday denied that a coup was underway, even if several soldiers mutinied against the government and the general staff, saying they demand more tools and a more targeted strategy to combat the rampant jihadist violence in the troubled African country. Other media claim that shootings are underway near state television.
France invites its compatriots present in Burkina Faso, about 4,000, to avoid any movement, after the Faso President Roch Marc Christian Kaboré was arrested by the mutinous soldiers, together with the president of parliament, Alassane Bala Sakandé and some ministers. «France is following the events taking place in Burkina Faso with the utmost attention. We are particularly attentive to the protection of the French community. We invited our compatriots to be cautious and to avoid any movement, ”said the spokesman for the Paris Foreign Ministry. In its advice to travelers, the Quai d’Orsay also states that “The two Air France flights scheduled for this Monday 24 January are canceled”. According to data collected by the French embassy there, there are about 4,000 French people present in Burkina Faso, most of them reside in the capital Ouagadougou.