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Burkina Faso coup: Military claims control of government to end of 'deviant regime'

Officials have responded with calls for the public to 'immediately rise up'

Samuel Osborne
Thursday 17 September 2015 05:39 EDT
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People demonstrate near the presidential palace after soldiers arrested the president and prime minister in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
People demonstrate near the presidential palace after soldiers arrested the president and prime minister in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso (AP)

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Burkina Faso's presidential guard claim they have "dissolved" the country's political institutions and set up a "national democratic council" to end the "deviant regime" in the West African state.

Lieutenant-Colonel Mamadou Bamba appeared on national television to declare that the military has seized the country's president and government leaders and controls the country, Al Jazeera reports.

Interim parliament speaker Cheriff Sy told French radio station RFI that what was happening was "clearly a coup" and called on the people to "immediately rise up", according to Yahoo News.

Gunfire has been reported on the streets of the capital Ouagadougou.

The coup comes just weeks before national elections.

The transitional government came to power after Blaise Campaore was overthrown after 27 years as leader towards the end of last year in a public uprising.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has called for the immediate release of President Michel Kafando, Prime Minister Isaac Zida and two other ministers.

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