Burkina Faso government says it thwarted coup attempt

Pro-military demonstration in Burkina Faso against the alleged coup attempt

Burkina Faso's military government said on Wednesday that a coup attempt had been thwarted the previous day by security and intelligence services, without providing specifics on what had happened.

In a statement it said officers and others had plotted to destabilise the country with "the dark intention of attacking the institutions of the Republic and plunging our country in chaos."

It did not identify anyone but said some arrests had been made and searches continued for others. "Investigations will help unmask the instigators of this plot," it said. The military prosecutor later said four people had been detained and two were on the run.

Thousands of pro-junta demonstrators took to the streets of the capital Ouagadougou and elsewhere to show their support, citing rumours of a brewing mutiny against the authorities.