Security forces fired tear gas to disperse angry protesters outside the French embassy in Burkina Faso’s capital on Sunday as unrest simmered in the impoverished West African nation after a reported second coup d’état this year.

The latest unrest began on Friday when younger military officers announced they had ousted the country’s junta leader, sparking deep concern among world powers over the latest coup that hit the Sahel region, which has been fighting a growing Islamist insurgency.

In comments late Saturday, junta leader Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba said he had no intention of relinquishing power and urged officers to “come to their senses.”

His comments came shortly after the army general staff dismissed the coup as an “internal crisis” within the military and said dialogue was “ongoing” to remedy the situation.

The capital remained tense overnight, with protesters gathering on Ouagadougou’s main streets as a helicopter hovered overhead.

The non-commissioned officers had accused Damiba of hiding at a military base belonging to the former colonial power France in order to plan a “counter-offensive”, which he and France denied. Damiba did not provide any information about his whereabouts.

Dozens of supporters of the new self-proclaimed coup leader Ibrahim Traore gathered in front of the French embassy in the capital on Sunday.

Security forces fired tear gas from inside the compound to disperse protesters after they set fire to barriers outside and threw rocks at the structure, with some attempting to scale the fence, according to an AFP reporter Location.

There were no immediate reports of injuries.

The French Foreign Ministry condemned “in the strongest possible terms the violence against our embassy” by “enemy protesters who were manipulated by a disinformation campaign against us”.

It was a third incident against a building linked to France in two days. A fire was seen outside the French Embassy on Saturday and witnesses said a fire also broke out outside the French Institute in the western town of Bobo-Dioulasso.

In announcing their coup, officials accused Damiba of failing to put down jihadist attacks in the country.

Damiba himself came to power in a coup in January. He installed himself as the leader of the country’s 16 million people after accusing President-elect Roch Marc Christian Kabore of failing to fight back jihadist fighters. But the uprising rages on.

Amid a wave of international criticism, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres “strongly condemns any attempt to seize power by force of arms and calls on all actors to refrain from violence and to seek dialogue,” his spokesman said.

“Burkina Faso needs peace, stability and unity to fight terrorist groups and criminal networks operating in parts of the country,” the UN statement added.

The coup was also condemned by the US, the African Union, the European Union and the regional group ECOWAS.

Jihadist violence has also led to a series of coups in Mali, Guinea and Chad since 2020.

Burkina Faso’s new putschists said they were ready “to go to other partners who are willing to help in the fight against terrorism.”

No country was specifically mentioned, but Russia, whose influence is growing in French-speaking Africa, is among the possible partners.

France has deployed a contingent of military special forces in Kamboinsin, about 30 kilometers from the capital, Ouagadougou.

A few hours before Friday’s coup, hundreds of people gathered in the capital to demand Damiba’s departure, the end of France’s military presence in the Sahel and military cooperation with Russia.

More than 40 percent of Burkina Faso remains outside government control.

In the north and east, insurgents blocked towns, blew up bridges and attacked supply convoys.

Since 2015, when the insurgency spread from Mali to Burkina Faso, fighting has killed thousands and displaced some two million.