The Burkina Faso army announced on Monday that it has seized power and overthrown the country’s president, Roch Kaboré.
A military man who appeared on state television cited the deteriorating security situation to defend the military coup.
Kaboré had faced mounting discontent over his failure to stop an Islamist insurgency.
Their whereabouts are unclear at this time, but the official said all detainees are in a safe place.
The coup comes a day after troops seized the barracks and shots were heard in the capital, Ouagadougou.
Previously, the ruling party, Popular Movement for Progress (PMP), said that both Kaboré and a government minister survived an assassination attempt.
What happened
On Sunday, mutinous troops demanded the firing of military chiefs and more resources to combat militants linked to the self-styled Islamic State (IS) group and al Qaeda.
The army statement said Kaboré failed to unite the nation or deal effectively with the security crisis that “threatens the very foundation of our nation.”
The text was issued on behalf of a previously unheard of group, the Patriotic Movement for Safeguarding and Restoration, or MPSR, its French acronym.
Although read by another officer, the statement was signed by the Lieutenant Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba, who is believed to be the leader of the coup and a senior commander with years of experience fighting Islamist militants.
The statement says parliament and government have been dissolved and the constitution suspended, but promises a “return to constitutional order” within a “reasonable time.”
The military also announced the closure of borders from Burkina Faso.
reactions
UN Secretary General António Guterres condemned the coup and called on the military to “guarantee the protection and physical integrity” of Kaboré.
The African Union and the regional bloc, Ecowas, also condemned the forceful takeover, and Ecowas said it holds soldiers responsible for the well-being of the deposed president.
Earlier, the news of his arrest was greeted with applause and celebrations in Ouagadougou, according to Anne Soy, the BBC’s Africa correspondent.
Video images from the capital on social media appear to show armored vehicles, supposedly used by the presidency, riddled with bullet holes and abandoned in the street.
Mobile internet services have been interrupted, although landline phones and home internet are working.
Over the past year, several African nations have suffered coups. Among them have been Chad, Guinea, Mali and Sudan.
Burkina Faso, a former French colony, has suffered from chronic instability since gaining independence in 1960, including several coups.
The name of the country, which means “land of honest men”, was chosen by the revolutionary military Thomas Sankara, who seized power in 1983. He was overthrown and assassinated in 1987.
Since 2015, the country has been battling an Islamist insurgency that has spread from neighboring Mali. This has fueled the ire of the military and damaged the once-important tourist industry.
