The West Africa regional body, Ecowas, has condemned what it called a mutiny in Mali and has called on soldiers to return to their barracks.

This comes after gunfire erupted inside a military base near the capital Bamako.

Ecowas reiterated its opposition to any unconstitutional change of power.

It is not yet clear how many soldiers took part in the incident which according to some reports was fuelled by a pay dispute.

The unrest coincides with opposition calls for more protests demanding the resignation of President Ibrahim Boubakar Keita.

There is widespread anger at the worsening security situation with jihadist and communal violence on the increase, corruption and the mismanagement of the economy.