Burkina Faso’s President Roch Marc Christian Kabore was arrested and detained by mutinying soldiers.
Gatekeepers News reports that the development was reported by State media on Monday, a day after soldiers staged mutinies at several army barracks, prompting fears of a coup. Heavy gunfire was also heard on Sunday near Kabore’s residence in the capital, Ouagadougou.
Two security sources and a West African diplomat told Reuters news agency that Kabore was detained at a military camp. There was no immediate comment by the government, which on Sunday had denied that a coup was underway.
“President Kabore, the head of parliament, and the ministers are effectively in the hands of the soldiers at the Sangoule Lamizana barracks in the capital.
“We are in contact with some leaders of the rebellious soldiers and they have assured us that President Kabore and the rest are being held in a safe place,’ a top security official told Reuters.
Kabore was elected as Burkina Faso’s president in 2015 after Blaise Compaore, who was in power for nearly three decades, was ousted.
In November 2020, Kabore was re-elected for another five-year term, but has, however, been unable to curb the spread of violence across the country.
