(Bloomberg) — Burkina Faso imposed an overnight curfew after soldiers opened fire early Sunday on military bases across the country.
The curfew will start at 8 p.m. local time Sunday and end at 5:30 a.m., according to a government statement read on state broadcaster Radiodiffusion Television du Burkina.
Earlier, the soldiers say they want better resources to fight the Islamist insurgents ravaging the West African nation. They demanded the replacement of the nation’s top military commander, additions to current troop numbers, and better support for the families of injured and killed colleagues, according to an audio recording shared with Voice of America.
The Defense Minister, General Aime Barthelemy Simpore, told the state broadcaster that the government was trying to understand exactly what the soldiers were asking for.
Simpore also denied the arrest of President Roch Marc Christian Kabore, as sporadic rumors circulated that he would be removed from office in Africa’s fourth-largest gold producer.
Sunday’s developments came months after Kabore promised to change the military leadership in response to grievances over his government’s failure to tackle a sprawling Islamist insurgency threatening neighboring Togo and Ivory Coast.
Earlier this month a dozen soldiers were arrested on suspicions of plotting a coup.
Insurgents have also targeted gold-mining operations, Burkina Faso’s country’s main source of income.
Read More: Burkina Faso’s President Pledges Reforms in Face of Protests
Pressure on Kabore has been mounting over his administration’s failure to quell the deadly violence by Islamist militants linked to al-Qaeda and Islamic State. Militants killed hundreds of soldiers and civilians last year, forcing more than 1.5 million people to flee.
Sunday’s shootings, including at the military airport in the capital Ouagadougou, came a day after security forces fired tear gas at demonstrators demanding Kabore’s ousting.
Simpore confirmed isolated gunfire in six localities. Sporadic gunfire and protests continued in the capital on Sunday, the U.S. embassy said in a statement on its website. Protesters also ransacked the headquarters of the ruling People’s Movement for Progress.
“We’re tired of Kabore,” said Alidou Nikiema, one of the youth who took to the streets. “We want him to resign and for power to be handed to the military.”
There’s been a number of coups across sub-Saharan Africa over the past year, with military takeovers in Mali, Guinea, Chad and Sudan. In January, the UN special envoy to West Africa, Annadif Saleh, cautioned that “incessant” attacks by terrorist groups could lead to further destabilization in Burkina Faso.
Kabore, 64, has been in power since 2015, a year after long-serving leader Blaise Compaore was ousted in a popular uprising.
Read More: Security Crisis Triggers Fall of Government in Burkina Faso
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