One person was killed and about 20 were wounded in Bamako, the capital of Mali, after police shot protesters who stormed Parliament, and were calling for the resignation of President Ibrahim Abu Bakr Keita.
Al-Jazeera sources reported that the police used live bullets and tear gas when trying to get out protesters who stormed the TV headquarters, which coincided with the interruption of broadcasting.
These developments come after supporters of what is known as the "Fifth of June" movement declared what they called a civil disobedience to compel President Kita to implement the demands of stepping down from the government.
Special pictures of the island from the streets of Bamako showed protesters setting fire to roads and burning tires. Official television broadcasts stopped after hundreds of protesters occupied the building in the capital, Bamako, and the protesters, invited by the opposition movement, tried to take control of two main bridges.
The protest leaders called on their supporters to storm and control major buildings, including the Prime Minister's Office and other vital headquarters, at the start of a civil disobedience campaign aimed at forcing Kita to resign because of his failure to provide solutions to the country's security and economic problems.
This is the third protest since last June, and came after the opposition coalition rejected concessions made by Kita with the aim of resolving an ongoing political crisis that began months ago following the disputed legislative elections in March.
Mali's neighbors and world powers fear that this impasse will further destabilize the country and endanger a joint military campaign against armed groups in the Sahel region of West Africa.
Keita was re-elected for another 5 years in 2018, but faces growing opposition as armed groups escalate violence and exacerbate the economic crisis.