Presidential guard officers in Burkina Faso have seized power in a coup, with reports of more than 10 deaths amid protests in the capital, Ouagadougou.
A close ally of former President Blaise Compaore has been named the country's new leader, state television reports.
French President Francois Hollande condemned the coup in the former French colony.
Those killed were shot dead by presidential guard forces in the capital, a civil society group said.
The claim by the influential Balai Citoyen group could not be independently verified.
Other reports said protesters had been assaulted and detained.
The coup leaders have imposed a night-time curfew across the West African state, and have ordered the closure of land and air borders, AFP news agency reports.
The headquarters of Mr Compaore's Congress for Democracy and Progress (CDP) party were ransacked in Ouagadougou as news of the coup spread, it adds.
Mr Hollande called for the immediate release of interim President Michel Kafando and Prime Minister Isaac Zida, who were detained at a cabinet meeting in the president palace on Wednesday.
Their transitional authority was due to hand power to a new government after elections on 11 October.
The Presidential Guard was Compaore's brute squad of about 1,300 soldiers, and fearing that a newly elected President would disband the unit, the Guard took over. It's an ugly mess for sure, and a major blow to democracy, but again, there's not much anyone can really do about it.
Needless to say, after twenty years of Compaore's nasty rule, it looks like the new boss is the same as the old boss.
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