LIVE: Air of panic in Ouagadougou, shops shut early

Fears of a coup in Burkina Faso are rising after the country’s transitional leaders were arrested and detained. Get the latest with this breaking story here.

BBC reports that o injuries have been reported so far but there is said to be an air of panic in the capital with shops shutting early and many people heading home.

Forbes.com gives an overview on what can be learnt about African Leadership amid the Burkina Faso crisis.

Some have taken to Twitter to urge the African Union to intervene and prevent political unrest in the west African country.

The US has called for the immediate release of Burkina Faso’s interim president and other leaders after they were arrested by the presidential guard, according to Reuters.

“The United States strongly condemns any attempt to seize power through extra-constitutional means or resolve internal political disagreements using force,” State Department spokesman John Kirby said in a statement

SA National Editors’ Forum director Mathatha Tsedu is in the west African country.

He’s told News24: “The prime minister and two ministers are still being held. Offices of Campaore’s party were torched overnight.

“Sporadic shots heard but we told it’s to keep people back from the revolution square by firing in the air. The most senior person in government who is still free is Moumina Cheriff SY who is the interim speaker. He is also an editor and former Chairperson of The African Editors Forum (TAEF).

“He has called on the Burkina people to mobilise and defend their revolution and crowds have gathered at the freedom square which is where the gunshots were heard from. SY is in a secure place and fine and technically in charge of government now.”

Tsedu says the coup happened while a conference called Filep was on.

Filep is a biannual pan African gathering to look into media issues. The theme this year is Media and political changes, what contribution media makes.

SY is a patron of the conference and opened it on Wednesday saying change from Campaore was incomplete because the revolution of October did not dislodge Campaore’s system, says Tsedu.

“Prophetic words.”

The United States has also called for the immediate release of the interim president, prime minister and other leaders.

The United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon expressed outrage on Wednesday at reports of the detention of Burkina Faso’s president and prime minister and several ministers, calling for their immediate release, Reuters reported.

“The secretary general is outraged by reports of the detention of President Michel Kafando and Prime Minister Yacouba Isaac Zida of Burkina Faso,” Ban’s press office said in a statement. “The Secretary-General calls for their immediate release. This incident is a flagrant violation of Burkina Faso’s Constitution and Transitional Charter.”

Soldiers arrested Burkina Faso’s transitional president and prime minister on Wednesday, raising fears of a coup just weeks before the country was to hold an election to replace its long serving leader who was ousted in a popular uprising late last year, AP reported.

Members of the presidential security unit barred the transitional leaders from leaving on Wednesday, and were seen putting up barricades around the presidential palace.

Moumina Cheriff Sy, the speaker of the transitional parliament, called Wednesday’s developments “a blow to the republic and its institutions”.

“I call on all patriots to gather to defend the motherland,” he added, calling on members of parliament to protest.

There was no immediate claim by the military on public air waves that they now controlled the country.

News of the stand-off Wednesday created panic in Burkina Faso’s capital of Ouagadougou, where people closed shops early and headed home fearing violent demonstrations. The protests that led to President Blaise Compaore’s ousting escalated to a point where the parliament building was set ablaze.