OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso – More than a dozen rebels have said on state television that a military junta has taken control of Burkina Faso after the democratically elected president was arrested after a day of shootings in the West African capital. The new military regime said it had suspended Burkina Faso’s constitution and dissolved the National Assembly.

Burkina Faso has experienced its fair share of attempted coups and military coups, though it experienced a period of relative stability under Compaor, who ruled for 27 years before he was overthrown in 2014. The apparent new warlord, Lieutenant Colonel Paul Henri Sandaogo Damiba, sat next to the press secretary, not facing the camera during the announcement. According to him, the soldiers ended the presidency of President Roche Marc Christian Cabores due to the deteriorating security situation and the president’s inability to deal with the crisis.

Ouedraogo said the country’s new leaders would work to establish a timetable “acceptable to all” for new elections, without giving further details. Gunfire broke out early Sunday morning as soldiers took control of one of the capital’s main military barracks. Since the ouster of leader Blaise Compaore in 2014, several people have told the PA that they no longer care about having a democratically elected leader. Rebel soldiers told the PA that the government had no contact with the troops.

Kabore was elected in 2015 after a popular uprising toppled Compaore. The military has suffered casualties since extremist violence began in 2016. Kabore was re-elected in November 2020, but frustration over his failure to stop jihadist violence has intensified.

Following the announcement on television, the crowd took to the streets cheering and honking to cars in support of the takeover. In response, civilians protested in support of the uprising, but were dispersed by security forces who fired tear gas.