Ouagadougou , Burkina Faso ( CNN ) -- Following weeks of unrest , Burkina Faso 's president has named a former ambassador as the country 's new prime minister , state media reported . A statement signed by President Blaise Compaore named Luc Adolph Tiao , Burkina Faso 's former ambassador to France , to the post , RTB , the national radio and television network , reported Monday . Before Tiao was an ambassador , he was president of the Superior Council of Communication of Burkina Faso , which regulates the media . The announcement came after several incidents triggered violence in the western African nation , sparked by different events . There was no information on how many people had been injured . Student protests have been ongoing in the nation since February , according to local media reports . The demonstrations came after a student reportedly died in jail . On March 30 , protests erupted over a court case . According to media reports , a man sued a group of five soldiers , claiming they allegedly forced him to take off his clothes and walk home because he had dated a soldier 's girlfriend . The court found in favor of the man . During the violence that ensued , the defense minister said his home was attacked . A small group of presidential security guards revolted Thursday night over a promised housing allowance , firing shots inside the presidential compound and taking to the streets , shooting guns , stealing cars and robbing people , according to officials with the Ministry of Defense . Two children of a defense official were shot at and hospitalized , officials said . The soldiers demanded a housing allowance they said the president had promised them . The Ministry of Defense said Friday in a statement the soldiers had been paid but the protests continued , with buildings in the capital city , Ouagadougou , set on fire . The president also reportedly replaced the head of the Army amid the violence . The president was at the palace when the demonstrations began and left briefly under heavy security , but he later returned . In recent days , a curfew was imposed , and sources in the city of Po said violence was also taking place there . A spokesman for the group of security guards , Moussa Ag Abdoulaye , appeared on RTB and reaffirmed the group 's committment to the president and called for a cease-fire from other military groups .
The former ambassador to France was named prime minister . He is the first Muslim leader of a Western European country and has been in office for just over two years. A group of security guards revolted last week .