More than a dozen mutinous soldiers declared Monday on state television that a military junta now controls Burkina Faso after they detained the democratically elected president following a day of gunbattles in the capital. The army said it had ousted President Roch Marc Christian Kabore, suspended the constitution, dissolved the government and the national assembly, and closed the borders.
Capt. Sidsore Kaber Ouedraogo said that the Patriotic Movement for Safeguard and Restoration would establish a calendar "acceptable to everyone" for holding new elections without giving further details.
The announcement, signed by Lt. Col. Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba and read by another officer on state television, said that the takeover had been carried out without violence and those detained were in a secure location.
Burkina Faso's president has survived an assassination attempt, his party said earlier Monday, with his whereabouts unclear following a mutiny by soldiers that African powers condemned as a "coup attempt." The European Union and the United States issued statements calling for the "immediate" release of President Kabore, while sources told Reuters that Kabore has resigned.
Soldiers rose up at several army bases across the West African state on Sunday, demanding the sacking of the military top brass and more resources to fight the extremist insurgency that erupted in 2015.
Kabore, in power since 2015 and reelected in 2020 on a pledge to prioritize the fight against the insurgency, has faced rising public anger about failure to stop the bloodshed in the poor, landlocked country.
On Monday, the People's Movement for Progress said Kabore was the victim of an "aborted assassination attempt." A minister also survived an attempt on his life and the president's home was sacked as the country "heads with each passing hour toward a military coup by force," it said.
An Agence France-Presse (AFP) correspondent early Monday saw three bullet-ridden vehicles outside Kabore's residence, with traces of blood visible on one of them.
Security and government sources earlier gave contradictory accounts of Kabore's whereabouts. He was "in the hands of soldiers" along with Parliament Speaker Alassane Bala Sakande and some Cabinet members, one security source told AFP. A second security source confirmed the information.
But a government source later said that Kabore had been "exfiltrated" from his home late Sunday by his presidential guard "before the arrival of armed elements who fired on the vehicles of his convoy." By midday, no statements were forthcoming from the mutinous soldiers.
A message was posted on Kabore's Twitter account on Monday urging "those who have taken up arms to lay them down in the greater interest of the nation." It was impossible to know whether the president wrote the tweet himself or under what circumstances. The tweet added: "We must settle our contradictions through dialogue and listening."
Around 10 hooded troops deployed in front of the headquarters of the national broadcaster RTB on Monday, an AFP journalist said. It was not immediately clear if they were from the mutineers or had been sent in by the government. RTB broadcasts entertainment programs on Monday.
Burkina Faso has seen several coups or attempted coups. In neighboring Mali – where the insurgency began before crossing the border – the military toppled the civilian government in 2020.
On Monday, West African countries in the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) grouping described the latest volatility as a "coup attempt" and held "soldiers responsible for (Kabore's) physical well-being."
African Union Commission chief Moussa Faki Mahamat on Monday condemned the "attempted coup" in Burkina Faso after the country's president was reportedly detained following a mutiny by soldiers.
"He strongly condemns the attempted coup d'etat against the democratically elected president," the AU said in a statement.
"He calls on the national army and the country's security forces to strictly adhere to their republican vocation, namely the defense of the country's internal and external security."
Faki called on troops to ensure the "physical integrity" of the president and his detained ministers and urged for the crisis to be resolved through dialogue.
France, the former colonial power in Burkina Faso, urged its citizens to "avoid any travel" and said it had canceled two Air France flights scheduled for late Monday.
On Sunday, gunfire was heard at numerous military bases, including two in Ouagadougou and later in the day near Kabore's Ouagadougou residence, and witnesses reported seeing a helicopter overhead. Mobile internet was cut the same day.
A group of protesters supporting the soldiers set up makeshift roadblocks on several main streets in the capital before being dispersed by police, AFP journalists said.
The rebellious troops presented a list of demands, which emphasized the need for a better anti-extremist strategy but did not mention trying to oust Kabore.
"We want adequate resources for the battle" against extremists, a soldier from the Sangoule Lamizana base in Ouagadougou said in a voice recording received by AFP.
The unaffected soldiers wanted top generals "replaced," better care for wounded troops and more support for the families of soldiers killed in battle, the spokesperson for the mutinous troops added in the anonymous recording.
On Saturday, police used tear gas to disperse banned protests, arresting dozens.
Then on Sunday, demonstrators set fire to the ruling party's headquarters. Fresh protests were staged on Monday.
Before reports of the president's arrest, the government had denied an "army takeover."
In response to the unrest, authorities declared an overnight curfew from 8:00 p.m. GMT "until further notice" and ordered schools to be shut on Monday and Tuesday.
The camp where Kabore was reportedly held also houses a military prison where Gen. Gilbert Diendere – a former right-hand man to deposed President Blaise Compaore – is serving a 20-year term for an attempted coup in 2015.
The latest turbulence coincides with an extremist insurgency that swept in from Mali in 2015, overwhelming Burkina's poorly trained and inadequately equipped armed forces.
Around 2,000 people have died, according to an AFP tally, while around 1.5 million people are internally displaced, according to the national emergency agency CONASUR.