Guinean special forces have seized power in a coup, arresting the president, and promising to change the political makeup of the West African country.

The new military leaders announced a nationwide curfew “until further notice”, saying it would convene President Alpha Conde’s cabinet ministers and other senior politicians at 11am (11:00 GMT) on Monday.

“Any refusal to attend will be considered a rebellion,” the commandos said in a statement.

The country’s governors and other top administrators will be replaced by the military, it added.

“We have decided, after having taken the president, to dissolve the constitution,” said a uniformed officer flanked by soldiers toting assault rifles in a video sent to AFP.

The officer also said that Guinea’s land and air borders have been shut and the government dissolved.

Earlier on Sunday, residents of the capital Conakry’s Kaloum district, the government quarter, reported hearing heavy gunfire.

The head of Guinea’s military special forces, Lieutenant Colonel Mamady Doumbouya, later appeared on public television, draped in the national flag, saying government “mismanagement” prompted the coup.

“We are no longer going to entrust politics to one man, we are going to entrust politics to the people,” Doumbouya said. “Guinea is beautiful. We don’t need to rape Guinea any more, we just need to make love to her.”

The US State Department denounced the coup d’etat and warned it could “limit” Washington’s ability to support Guinea.

“The United States condemns today’s events in Conakry,” the State Department said in a statement.

“These actions could limit the ability of the United States and Guinea’s other international partners to support the country as it navigates a path toward national unity and a brighter future for the Guinean people.”

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the takeover in a tweet and called for Conde’s immediate release.

The chairman of the African Union, DR Congo President Felix Tshisekedi, and the head of its executive body, former Chadian Prime Minister Moussa Faki Mahamat, also decried the move, calling for Conde to be freed.

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), through its acting president, Ghana’s leader Nana Akufo-Addo, threatened sanctions if Guinea’s constitutional order was not restored.