PRETORIA, January 24. /TASS/. The military mutiny in Burkina Faso, which started at some army bases on January 23, is being led by Lieutenant Colonel Paul Henri Sandaogo Damiba, news portal Benin Web TV reported on Monday.

According to the portal, which operates out of Benin, a country bordering on Burkina Faso, the military captured Burkina’s President Roch Marc Christian Kabore, Prime Minister Lassina Zerbo and National Assembly Speaker Alassane Sakande. Many of the top officers of Burkina Faso’s armed forces have also been arrested. They are kept at an army base in the country’s capital of Ouagadougou.

Deutsche Welle reported citing Burkina Faso’s news portal News Ouaga that "Damiba ousted Kabore." But some other of the country’s news portals have no confirmation for the report. The LeFaso portal reported on Monday that President Kabore is at a safe place under the protection of police.

Lieutenant Colonel Damiba serves in an infantry unit. He graduated from a military college in Paris. Damiba authored a book on the subject of armed forces of West African countries and terrorism.