Brigadier General Gilbert Diendere will lead what the military is calling the "National Council for Democracy." Diendere is a longtime ally of former president Blaise Compaore, who was ousted in a popular uprising last year.
A soldier appearing on state television Thursday announced the government had been dissolved and said interim President Michel Kafando has been stripped of his powers.
Soldiers are still holding Kafando and the interim prime minister, who they arrested during a cabinet meeting Wednesday in the capital, Ouagadougou.
The U.N. Security Council has demanded their release, condemning the detentions in the "strongest terms." Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said he was outraged and called it a "flagrant violation" of Burkina Faso's constitution.
Burkina Faso's troops patroll in Ouagadougou on Sept. 17, 2015.Barricades
Soldiers put up barricades around the presidential palace Wednesday. Gunfire erupted several hours later as soldiers tried to disperse protesters outside the palace. It is not clear if there were any casualties.
President Compaore, who ruled Burkina Faso for 27 years, stepped down last October amid protests over his plan to amend the constitution so he could extend his stay in office.
A transitional authority had scheduled presidential and parliamentary elections for October 11.
The run-up to the vote was marked by tension between the interim government and the presidential guard loyal to Compaore, known as the RSP.
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