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Armed soldiers in fatigues and masks appeared on television in Burkina Faso on Friday night to confirm the ouster of President Paul-Henri Damiba, the second coup in the troubled West African country this year, Reuters reported.

The announcement capped a day that began with gunfire near a military camp in the capital Ouagadougou, an explosion near the presidential palace, and interruptions to state television programming.

Burkina Faso's new leader is army Captain Ibrahim Traore. In a scene, Traore appeared on television surrounded by soldiers and announced the government was dissolved, the constitution, suspended and the borders closed. He declared a nightly curfew.

"Faced with the deteriorating situation, we tried several times to get Damiba to refocus the transition on the security question," said the statement signed by Traore and read out by another officer on television.

The statement said Damiba had rejected proposals by the officers to reorganize the army and instead continued with the military structure that had led to the fall of the previous regime.

"Damiba's actions gradually convinced us that his ambitio

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