Heavy gunfire and shooting around the presidential villa have led to speculations of a coup.
Digging deeper
The official TV is reportedly no longer broadcasting which is characteristic of military takeovers, and there have been reports of intense gunfire in Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso.
According to Reuters, the main army base and a few residential districts in the capital are the sources of the shooting. There is a significant army presence, and some highways are blocked.
Why this matter
In January of this year, Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba led a military takeover from President Roch Kabore. Kabore was accused of not tackling insecurity and insurgency properly.
But Damiba, the military leader seems to have also failed in this issue, in the western Burkina Faso city of Bobo Dioulasso, hundreds of protesters went to the streets on Thursday to call for Damiba’s resignation.
According to them, Damiba was to blame for the poorly handled security issue.
What you should know
Since 2015, security in Burkina Faso has been attacked by insurgents and authorities have been struggling to contain the attacks. On Monday, 11 soldiers were killed in a militant attack in the northern Soum province, 50 civilians were reported missing.