The military junta in control in Burkina Faso as soldiers declare control. More than a dozen mutinous soldiers declared on state television that a military junta had seized control of Burkina Faso after detaining the democratically elected president following a day of gunbattles in the capital Ouagadougou, of the West African country.

The new military regime said it had suspended Burkina Faso’s constitution and dissolved the National Assembly. The country’s borders were closed, and a curfew was in effect from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m.

The military coup in a nation that was once a bastion of stability was the third of its kind in the region in the last 18 months, creating upheaval in some of the countries hardest hit by civil unrest and ‘self-proclaimed’ freedom fighters or extremist attacks.

Military Junta to set new election dates

Capt. Sidsore Kaber Ouedraogo said the Patriotic Movement for Safeguarding and Restoration – Military junta in control in Burkina Faso – “has decided to assume its responsibilities before history.” The soldiers put an end to President Roch Marc Christian Kabore’s presidency because of the deteriorating security situation and the president’s inability to manage the crisis, he said.

Ouedraogo said that the country’s new leaders would work to establish a calendar “acceptable to everyone” for holding new elections without giving further details.

The military junta in control in Burkina Faso preparing to govern

It was not immediately known where former President Kabore was, and the junta spokesman said only that the coup had taken place “without any physical violence against those arrested, who are being held in a safe place, with respect for their dignity.”

The military junta in control of Burkina Faso are preparing to create a leadership and govern the country until democratic elections can be held.

A soldier in the mutiny, who spoke on the condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the situation, told The AP newswire that Kabore had submitted his resignation.

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