Burkina Faso guards detain president, prime minister (PM). President Michel Kafando and Prime Minister Isaac Zida were detained at a cabinet meeting at the presidential palace in the capital, Ouagadougou. It comes two days after a commission recommended the disbanding of the presidential guard (RSP). The detention of the nation's transitional leaders triggered immediate street protests outside the presidential palace where the men were being held. Gunfire pierced the air as soldiers tried to disperse several hundred demonstrators, an AFP reporter saw. It was impossible to immediately verify whether anyone had been wounded. International condemnation was swift, with the United Nations and the African Union demanding the top officials be released immediately.
About Burkina Faso:
- Burkina Faso is a landlocked country in West Africa surrounded by six countries: Mali to the north; Niger to the east; Benin to the southeast; Togo and Ghana to the south; and Ivory Coast to the southwest.
- Its capital is Ouagadougou. French is an official language of government and business.
- As of 2014, its population was estimated at just over 17.3 million.
- Formerly called the Republic of Upper Volta, the country was renamed "Burkina Faso" on 4 August 1984 by then-President Thomas Sankara.
- The main Ethnic groups (1995) are: 47.9% Mossi, 10.3% Fulani and 6.9% Lobi.
- As per 2006 census 60.5% of the population practice Islam, and that the majority of this group belong to the Sunni branch
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