Shots heard in Bangui

Reports from Bangui, the capital of the Central African Republic, say automatic small-arms fire has been heard near the residence of President Ange-Felix Patasse.

A local journalist said he heard the shots, and had seen some people moving quickly in the streets.

There was no immediate explanation for the shooting.

A spokesman for the Central African president Prosper Ndouba told the reporter he could give no information at the moment.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service