Burkina presidential guard fire on mutineers

Burkina Faso leader Blaise Compaoré's presidential guard on Friday went on the offensive against mutinous troops in the economic capital in the south-west, Bobo Dioulasso, witnesses said.

AFP/Ahmed Ouoba

The military action was the first time that force has been used against the mutineers since unrest broke out in the armed forces in March.

Soldiers of the Regiment of Presidential Security (RSP) "have practically encircled the [military] base. They're on all the roads that lead up to the base and have gone in there to search out the soldiers inside," one resident told AFP news agency.

One witness said that "heavy weapons fire" could be heard from the direction of the governor's offices and the hospital, not far from the Ouezzin Coulibaly camp where the mutineers are based.

The night was marked by a lot of shooting into the air and renewed looting on a big scale, residents said. The mutineers have been causing havoc and pillaging shops in Bobo Dioulasso since Tuesday.

France on Friday called for dialogue between all the parties involved so that reforms can be carried out and order restored.