According to the Burkina 24 news website and other publications, after the detention of the president, who is currently in the Sangoule Lamizana military facility, armed men were stationed in front of government’s premises and the headquarters of the RTB national broadcaster.

Although the president’s detention by mutineers has not been officially confirmed yet, a police officer told Radio Omega that President Kabore is isolated.

On the other hand, other sources reported that Prime Minister Lassina Zerbo and National Assembly President Alassane Bala Sakande have also been detained.

Burkina 24 reported that, on the evening of January 23, gunfire was heard at a camp near the president’s residence and three abandoned vehicles riddled with bullets were found near the premises. Amid popular demonstrations, staged on Sunday, soldiers expressed their dissatisfaction with the barracks and demanded the resignation of top army officers and the use of several means to curb the violence triggered in the country since 2015 by radical Islamist groups.

In the heat of this exacerbated atmosphere, before his arrest, in what is presumed to be a coup d’état, President Kabore had decreed a curfew until Monday, and the Economic Community of West African States called on citizens to be calmed.

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