Burkina Faso: Soldiers staged mutinies at various barracks, demanding the sacking of the country’s military top brass and greater resources for the fight against Islamist insurgents, while shots were reported late Sunday near the president’s home.
Residents reportedly reported seeing a helicopter hovering over President Roch Marc Kabore‘s private residence in the capital, Ouagadougou.
Shooting at army bases
It came as shooting erupted at numerous army bases earlier on Sunday, raising worries of yet another coup in the volatile West African country, which is prone to military takeovers.
Meanwhile, protesters angry with the government’s handling of the Islamist threat set fire to the ruling party’s headquarters.
However, the administration promptly dismissed rumours of a coup, and a list of demands submitted by the dissident troops made no mention of attempting to depose Kabore, instead emphasising the need for a more effective anti-jihadist policy.
Curfew in Burkina Faso
In an audio recording obtained by AFP, a soldier from the Sangoule Lamizana camp in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso said, “We want appropriate resources for the struggle” against Islamist extremists.
The authorities imposed an overnight curfew starting at 8:00 p.m. (2000 GMT) on Sunday “until further notice,” and the education ministry announced that schools across the poor landlocked country would be closed Monday and Tuesday.
The disturbance comes just over a week after 12 people were arrested on suspicion of plotting to “destabilise” Burkina’s institutions, including a senior army officer.
Anger at Jihadist toll
The new upheaval coincides with a terrorist insurgency that rushed in from Mali in 2015, overwhelming Burkina Faso’s under-equipped and under-trained armed forces.
According to an AFP count, roughly 2,000 people have perished, and the national emergency agency CONASUR estimates that 1.5 million people have been internally displaced.
Anger has grown over Kabore’s failure to stop the bloodshed, leading to fights with security officers.
When hundreds of people turned out to protest on November 27, scores were injured.
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