Burkina Faso capital recovers from double extremist attacks

OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso - Trading resumed at the main market in Burkina Faso's capital city on Saturday and residents returned to the streets, a day after extremists attacked the French Embassy and army headquarters in simultaneous assaults, killing eight people and wounding more than 80 others.

Security forces killed eight militant attackers, and several arrests were made, but the violence is a reminder that Ouagadougou remains a target.

The smell of smoke lingered over the city on Saturday as the prime minister prepared to meet with the army chief at the heavily reinforced and guarded army headquarters. A deep hole in the ground and adjacent wall mark where extremists dressed in uniform set off a car bomb, apparently targeting a room where senior officers were to have met, but had relocated, according to Security Minister Clement Sawadogo.

The room was completely destroyed and the car's parts scattered inside the headquarters. Sawadogo said if the meeting had taken place in that room, "our army would have been beheaded".

Retired soldier Amado Belem said he is unhappy about the assault.

"It's a big shock to know that the army has been attacked so easily. It makes me crazy," he said.

This is the third attack by Islamic militants on this city since January 2016, prompting criticism of the military.

No group has yet claimed responsibility for Friday's attacks.

People on Saturday flocked around the headquarters and the French Embassy to view the damage. A burned out car, remained in front of the embassy, which is riddled with bullet holes.

The embassy came under attack around 10:15 am on Friday, with witnesses at the nearby state TV offices saying that the attackers arrived in a pickup truck, shouted "Allahu akbar!" and began shooting.

Islamic extremists have carried out two large-scale attacks on Ouagadougou in recent years, killing 30 people at a cafe in 2016 and 18 others at a restaurant last year.

Extremist groups have vowed to step up the bloodshed in response to the recent deployment of the G5 Sahel force. The 5,000-member force combines troops from Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, Chad and Mauritania, with France leading the efforts to raise international funding.

Associated Press

(China Daily 03/04/2018 page9)