UPDATE- Burkina Faso's president detained at military camp: Reports

ADDS FOREIGN EMBASSIES' AND ECOWAS REACTION, OTHER DETAILS

By Fatma Esma Arslan and Aurore Bonny

DAKAR, Senegal / DOUALA, Cameroon (AA) – Burkina Faso’s president has been detained at a military camp by a group of soldiers, according to multiple media reports.

Roch Marc Christian Kabore was detained by soldiers after gunfire was heard in some barracks in the capital Ouagadougou on Sunday, the reports said, adding that Kabore was taken to one of the barracks.

On Sunday, gunshots were heard in the morning at two military barracks in Ouagadougou, spurring fears of an uprising.

The government said there was no possibility of a coup and that the situation was under control.

It said the soldiers rebelled not to start a coup, but seeking better working conditions.

There was also a nationwide mobile internet outage in the West African country.

A group of people also took to the streets and attacked the offices of the ruling People's Movement for Progress party.

A nationwide curfew was declared from 8:00 p.m. to 5:30 a.m. local time Monday, and educational activities were suspended for two days.

Gunfire was heard around the president's house, and it was claimed that Kabore had been detained.

With the situation remaining uncertain, the French Embassy advised its nationals in Burkina Faso against any unnecessary travel. It also announced the closure of French schools in the country.

The US Embassy was also closed on Monday due to "the uncertainty of persistent problems throughout Ouagadougou."

In a statement on Sunday, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) called for "calm" and asked the military "to remain in a republican posture and to favor dialogue."

The West African bloc also expressed solidarity with Kabore as well as the people of Burkina Faso.

- Terrorism in Burkina Faso

On Nov. 22, 19 people, including nine gendarmes, were killed in an attack in Burkina Faso's Sanmatenga province in the Centre-Nord region.

In an earlier attack, on Nov. 14 in the Sahel region, 53 people, including 49 soldiers, lost their lives, and protests were held across the country calling for Kabore to step down.

The death of so many soldiers at the hands of terrorists brought the government under criticism.

Kabore fired Prime Minister Joseph Marie Dabire on Dec. 9 and two days later replaced him with Lassina Zerbo.

Al-Qaeda and ISIS/Daesh-linked terrorist groups in neighboring Mali have been carrying out frequent attacks in the north and east of Burkina Faso since 2015.