Burkina Faso coup: African Union condemns military takeover - BBC

On both occasions the coup leaders said they had to step in because national security was so dire.

Burkina Faso controls as little as 60% of its territory, experts say, and Islamist violence is worsening.

Since 2020 more than a million people have been displaced in the country due to the violence.

The African Union has demanded the return of constitutional order by July 2023 at the latest, agreeing with the regional group Ecowas that the ousting of leader Lt Col Damiba was "unconstitutional".

Ecowas earlier said it was "inappropriate" for army rebels to seize power when the country was working towards civilian rule.

Analysts told the BBC recently that Islamist insurgents were encroaching on territory, and military leaders had failed in their attempts to bring the military under a single unit of command.

The African Union has urged the military to "immediately and totally refrain from any acts of violence or threats to the civilian population, civil liberties, human rights".

The United States said it was "deeply concerned" by events in Burkina Faso and encouraged its citizens to limit movements in the country.

The Islamist insurgency broke out in Burkina Faso in 2015, leaving thousands dead and forcing an estimated two million people from their homes.

The African city Europeans tried to erase