Lisbon, Portugal — Troops rebelled and detained the prime minister Wednesday in this tiny island nation off western Africa, one of the world's poorest countries, which in recent years has been in turmoil since the discovery of oil.
Shots were heard before dawn, and Prime Minister Maria das Neves was arrested by renegade soldiers, Portuguese state radio Radiodifusao Portuguesa reported. Other senior government officials, including Oil Minister Rafael Branco, were also detained.
Sporadic gunshots could still be heard six hours later in the capital Sao Tome, though it was not clear whether the shots were from fighting or were fired into the air as a warning. No injuries were reported.
The streets of the capital were mostly empty. Public buildings and shops remained closed.
In a brief statement read over state radio Radio Nacional de Sao Tome, Maj. Fernando Pereira - the head of military training and a participant in the rebellion - ordered all government officials and lawmakers to report to central police headquarters.
The rebels have not said why they rose up or listed demands, but soldiers in recent months have complained about low pay and poor living conditions.
The radio played mostly music. State television was not broadcasting.
President Fradique de Menezes was out of the country, on a private visit to Nigeria.
The rebellious soldiers took control of the presidential palace, the parliament building and the airport. They also seized the central bank premises and the state radio and television headquarters in the capital of the former Portuguese colony.
The Portuguese ambassador in Sao Tome, Mario de Jesus Santos, said the city was calm.
"We are waiting for some clarification from the leaders (of the revolt) as to what they want," he told Portuguese radio.
Das Neves was the country's first woman prime minister. She was appointed in October of last year in a Cabinet reshuffle by Menezes.
Sao Tome and Principe, a former Portuguese colony off the coast of Gabon, has a population of about 140,000 and is one of the world's poorest countries, according to the United Nations. But recent discoveries of oil in the waters of the Gulf of Guinea have brought hopes of quick economic advancement.
The United States has made diplomatic overtures toward Sao Tome and Principe hoping it and other countries bordering the Gulf of Guinea can provide a more stable source of oil than the Persian Gulf.
But feuding among rival political parties over the oil wealth has caused political instability in recent years. The turmoil has stalled plans to explore the oil reserves.
Since Mr. Menezes began his term in September 2001, he has fired four prime ministers and dissolved Parliament once.
In January, Mr. Menezes revoked a decree that called for early elections and the dissolving of Parliament after striking a deal with lawmakers eager to trim his powers.
Offshore development had been planned in conjunction with Nigeria. International tenders for development of the oil reserves were recently opened, though the results of those bids are not yet known. They were reported to have drawn interest from major international oil companies.
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