A little-known group seized Burundi state radio and announced a military takeover today but loyalist troops quickly ringed the station and said they were ready to use force to crush the attempted coup.
A senior military officer said troops had surrounded the building and opened talks with the coup leaders to persuade them to surrender.
"If they don't surrender, we will be obliged to launch an attack," the officer said.
Announcing the attempted coup, radio reports said the government had been overthrown by soldiers led by a relatively unknown lieutenant.
"The government which is killing people is over and the government of Buyoya is over now," a brief radio announcement said, referring to the President, Mr Pierre Buyoya. It said parliament had been suspended and the borders and airports closed.
The city itself was quiet but tense, as fearful residents hurried home to avoid any hostilities.
The radio went off the air this evening, but witnesses said soldiers loyal to the coup leaders remained in control of the airport and the radio station.