Broadcast has resumed on Burkina Faso national TV after it went blank amid reports of gunfire and soldiers staged at different locations in the capital, Ouagadougou.
Many reports from local media in Burkina Faso and regional experts are pointing to a coup attempt.
A journalist monitoring the coverage says the station is showing a story about cotton farming and no reports of the suspected coup attempt.
Heavy gunfire was reported near the main military camp in the capital Ouagadougou, and the state broadcaster, La Radiodiffusion Télévision du Burkina, has suspended transmission.
There has been confusion amid the gunfire at Baba Sy military barracks and reports of the state broadcaster building being surrounded by soldiers.
Current leader, Lt Col Paul-Henri Sandaogo seized power in a coup in January.
Last week, Lt Col Damiba addressed the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly where he described the military coup as having been “an issue of survival” for the nation.
The Reuters news agency quotes witnesses as saying that a large blast was heard near Burkina Faso’s presidential palace in the capital, Ouagadougou.
It comes amid previous reports of heavy deployment of soldiers along the main roads leading to the presidency and the headquarters of the military junta.
The country’s leader Col Paul-Henri Damiba is reported to be in the capital.
A journalist in Burkina Faso’s capital reports that the military have blocked a key road near the office of the country’s prime minister and are turning away people from accessing government buildings.
Most of the soldiers are wearing ski masks, he reports, adding that police officers say they have no idea what is going on.
“Many people still going about their daily business,” he adds.
The situation in Burkina Faso is confusing and it’s unclear who is behind the deployment of soldiers in the capital, Ouagadougou, and around the presidential palace.
Gunfire has also been reported at military barracks.
It is however notable that bodies of 11 soldiers and 50 civilians were discovered on Monday in the northern town of Djibo after an ambush on Monday.
The military, led by Lt Col Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba, took power in a January coup, promising an end to the Islamist insurgency that started in 2015, but violence still rages.
BBC
