Burkina Faso’s Defense Minister Rejects Reports On President’s Detention

Mobilenews24x7 Bureau

Ouagadougou Jan 23 :The defense minister of Burkina Faso has rejected reports on detention of President Roch Marc Christian Kabore and said that the situation in the country was under control, after shooting was heard in some cities on Sunday. “The head of state was not detained… it is all under control,” Barthelemy Simpore told the country’s Omega radio station. Earlier in the day, the media reported citing a communique that the government of Burkina Faso rejected reports on the seizure of power by the army.

Gunfire in military camps was heard in the Burkinese capital of Ouagadougou on early Sunday, and the reason has not been reported yet, as radio station RFI said. There is a jail in one of the camps where Gen. Gilbert Diendere is serving his sentence for a coup attempt in 2015. Shooting was also reported to have been heard in one of the country’s largest cities of Kaya.

This come a day after clashes erupted between police and protesters who staged a rally after the authorities failed to curb violence that gripped the country. Earlier in January, a group of soldiers was arrested for allegedly plotting to destabilize institutions, the country’s media said.