N’DJAMENA, Chad (AP) — Multiple gunshots were heard near the presidential palace in the capital of the African nation of Chad on Wednesday evening, residents said, while one government minister reported that the situation was under control.

The gunshots rang out for several minutes near the presidential compound in N’Djamena, said Zakaria Daoud, a resident who lives in the area. It wasn’t clear where the gunfire was coming from. Infrastructure Minister Aziz Mahamat Saleh said on Facebook that the “situation is under control,” without referring to the gunshots.

The gunfire was reported about a week after the African nation held parliamentary elections that were supposed to help restore democracy, but which the main opposition boycotted. Results have not yet been announced, and analysts have said they expect the polling to help President Mahamat Deby Itno consolidate his grip on power.

Deby Itno seized power as military ruler after his father, who spent three decades in power, was killed fighting rebels in 2021. Deby Itno won a presidential election last year that international observers have said was not a credible ballot.