Journalists flee the national television headquarters as gunshots are fired around the premises in Ouagadougou. AFP

AFP/Ouagadougou

The army in Burkina Faso, which seized power after the ouster of the country's long-standing president last week, took over national television headquarters on Sunday, AFP journalists at the scene said.

Soldiers from the presidential guard fired gunshots into the air in the courtyard entrance of the RTB headquarters to disperse a crowd of demonstrators before taking control of the building, they said.

Troops also seized control of the main square in the capital Ouagadougou, setting up barricades and dispersing thousands of protesters.

The move came despite international calls for the army, which took power after the turbulent ouster of president Blaise Compaore, to hand over to civilian rule.