An army general closely linked to toppled strongman Blaise Compaore took the lead in a Burkina Faso coup Thursday, with at least one person killed and scores injured in protests.

The latest unrest to hit the landlocked west African nation came just weeks ahead of presidential and legislative elections, slated for October 11, aimed at restoring democracy after Compaore was forced out late last year, ending 27 years of iron-fisted rule.

In the capital Ouagadougou, elite army troops positioned their armoured vehicles in front of the presidential palace and fired at protesters who dared to denounce the coup.

Doctors at the main hospital said a man had died of injuries sustained on Wednesday when he was shot in coup-linked violence, and that at least 60 others had been admitted for various injuries.

Protests erupted in several places in the former French colony. In the second city of Bobo-Dioulasso, shops were closed and soldiers remained in their barracks, residents said.

"There are crowds on the streets," a taxi driver said, adding that the home of a member of Compaore's party had been torched.

Angry residents erected barricades in other towns and cities after presidential guard members loyal to Compaore burst into a cabinet meeting on Wednesday and seized acting president Michel Kafando, prime minister Isaac Zida and two ministers.

Dissolving the country's political institutions, the guards immediately announced the establishment of a "National Democratic Council" which would end "the deviant regime of transition" and create a government which would organise "inclusive" elections.

General Gilbert Diendere, Compaore's former chief-of-staff, was appointed head of the council, which announced a night-time curfew with land and air borders closed until further notice.

Speaking to French television, Diendere said he had had no contact with Compaore and claimed he was backed by the country's powerful army.

And he told French weekly magazine Jeune Afrique that Kafando and Zida were in good health and would be released.

The coup leaders had been prompted to act by the "serious pre-election security situation" ahead of presidential and legislative elections, he said.

Wednesday's coup triggered immediate street protests outside the presidential palace where the leaders were being held.

But Revolution Square -- the epicentre of last year's protests against Compaore -- was empty apart from military patrols, with the streets of the capital deserted.

Interim parliamentary speaker Cheriff Sy, who denounced the takeover in a interview with Radio France Internationale, urged people to "immediately rise up".

International condemnation was swift, with the United Nations Security Council and the European Union, one of the main donors to the poverty-stricken country, demanding the release of the country's transitional leaders.

- Global condemnation -

"This incident is a flagrant violation of Burkina Faso's constitution and transitional charter," UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said, while condeming "in the strongest terms" the coup.

President Francois Hollande of France -- the former colonial power -- joined the chorus of disapproval.

"I call on these groups to immediately stop what they are doing," Hollande said but added that the 220 French troops based in Ouagadougou "have no reason to intervene".

In a joint statement, the UN, African Union and 15-nation Economic Community of West African States demanded "the immediate and unconditional release of the hostages".

Rights group Amnesty International called on the elite guard to "stop using lethal force, beatings and other violence to repress protests and release arbitrarily detained members of the transitional government."

Protesters marching on the presidential palace on Wednesday evening were met with bursts of gunfire, with shooting also heard around the complex on Thursday.

Compaore fled into exile in Ivory Coast after a popular uprising in October last year, triggered by his attempt to extend his 27-year rule.

A transitional government had been charged with running the country until the elections but Compaore supporters were banned from standing under a controversial law passed in April that made anyone backing "unconstitutional change" ineligible.

- President kidnapped -

The country's main trade unions immediately called for a general strike "against the RSP interference in politics and for a true democracy".

The elite corps of 1,300 men, considered the best trained in the Burkinabe army, caused a brief political crisis in February when they demanded Zida's resignation after he had publically called for the RSP to be disbanded.

They reiterated the demand again in June, creating further political tensions.

Since Compaore's ouster, the RSP has repeatedly tried to disrupt the ongoing transition.

On Monday, the country's National Reconciliation and Reforms Commission had recommended that force be disbanded.

On the ground, the Balai Citoyen ("Civic Broom") movement, which was at the forefront of last year's anti-Compaore protests, called for demonstrations to "say no to the coup d'etat under way", an appeal that was shared widely on social networks.

State television broadcast cartoons and a football match as the dramatic events unfolded. Its buildings have traditionally been guarded by the RSP.

Many Burkinabe social media users meanwhile wondered whether Compaore himself might be involved in the unrest.

Ban demands Burkina Faso military show 'restraint'
United Nations, United States (AFP) Sept 17, 2015 - UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called Thursday for Burkina Faso's military to "exercise restraint," after at least one person died and scores more were injured in protests following a coup.

Ban condemned "in the strongest terms" the coup led by a close ally of toppled ex-leader Blaise Compaore and warned that those responsible for any bloodshed would face justice.

The UN chief called on the country's "defense and security forces to exercise restraint and ensure respect for the human rights and security of all Burkinabe citizens."

"Those responsible for the coup d'etat and its consequences must be held accountable," he said.

It was the second strongly-worded statement from the UN chief in two days and came after the Security Council condemned the actions in the Sahel nation and also demanded the release of the arrested leaders.

Presidential guard members loyal to Compaore burst into a cabinet meeting on Wednesday and seized acting president Michel Kafando, prime minister Isaac Zida and two ministers.

Ban said he was "outraged" by the attack and demanded that the leaders be immediately released.

General Gilbert Diendere, Compaore's former chief of staff, was appointed head of a governing council, which announced a nighttime curfew and shut down the borders.

Diendere ousted a transitional authority that had been charged with running the Sahel nation until presidential and legislative elections are held, the first round of which is due to take place on October 11.

UN envoy for West Africa Mohamed Ibn Chambas was in the capital Ouagadougou, holding talks with African governments to press for a return to the transitional arrangement.