Heavy gunfire heard amid mutiny

Soldiers in Burkina Faso have attempted to stage a mutiny and talks are under way to resolve the situation, the military government has said.

After heavy gunfire was heard in parts of the capital, the country’s leader, Lt Col Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba, urged the population to remain calm.

It is unclear if a coup attempt was in progress.

The current junta overthrew an elected government in January, citing a failure to halt Islamist attacks.

But Lt Col Damiba’s administration has not been able to quell the jihadist violence. On Monday, 11 soldiers were killed when they were escorting a convoy of civilian vehicles in the north of the country.

It was the second large-scale deadly attack this month.

Before dawn on Friday morning, shots and explosions were heard in the capital, Ouagadougou.

After sunrise, the normally bustling city was largely deserted, with soldiers on the streets blocking some roads and guarding key strategic points.

State television had stopped broadcasting.

There were concerns that a second coup this year was under way. But in a statement on FacebookLt Col Damiba said there was a “confused situation” created by “mood swings” among some soldiers.

Urging people to remain calm and avoid social media speculation, the military leader said that “negotiations [were] under way to bring back calm and serenity”.

Earlier, a government source told the BBC that a mutiny had been attempted.

In January, Lt Col Damiba ousted President Roch Kaboré, saying that he had failed to deal with growing militant Islamist violence.

“We have more than what it takes to win this war,” the junta chief said when he was sworn in as president in February.

But many citizens do not feel any safer and there have been protests in different parts of the country this week calling for more to be done.

The Islamist insurgency broke out in Burkina Faso in 2015, leaving thousands dead and forcing an estimated two million people from their homes.

The country has experienced eight successful coups since independence in 1960.