“We will no longer entrust politics to a man. We will entrust it to the people. We come only for this; the duty of a soldier is to save the country,” Guinea’s army officer Mamady Doumbouya says in the video.
An adviser to President Alpha Conde told CNN that Conde is under arrest and that a coup has taken place in the West African country.
It was not immediately clear where Conde was.
In the video, Doumbouya, wearing a special forces uniform, says they have arrested Conde, suspended the constitution, the government and all other institutions. He also announced the closure of land and air borders. The local media have spread and disseminated the video.
The shootings erupted on Sunday in Conakry, the capital of Guinea, in what appeared to be an attempted coup, according to various social media posts and field witnesses who spoke to CNN.
According to videos shared on social media, heavily armed soldiers were present in the Kaloum area of Conakry, where many government buildings are located.
A popular video appeared to show Conde, the 83-year-old leader of Guinea, who won a hotly contested election last year, surrounded by Guinean soldiers.
“It’s time for us to understand each other, to shake hands, to sit down, to write a Constitution that fits our realities, capable of solving our problems,” Doumbouya said in the video.
Another video circulating on social media showed foxes cheering on military vehicles and waving flags in the capital.
CNN has not independently verified the authenticity of the videos.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for Conde’s release as reports of the apparent coup unfolded.