The government denied “a power outlet” and “calls people to stay serene”.
Le Monde with AFP
Shots were heard, Sunday, January 23, in several barracks in Burkina Faso, including three in the country’s capital, Ouagadougou, according to several sources. “Since 1 hour of the morning [2 hours in Paris], shots have been heard here in Gounghin, from Camp Bloodlé-Lamizana,” said a soldier from this neighborhood at the west exit of Ouagadougou, what confirmed by the inhabitants, speaking of “more and more fed shots”.
Shots were also heard in another Ouagadougou military camp, that of Baba Sy, at the southern exit of the capital, and at the airport near the airport, according to military sources. Shots were also produced in Kaya and Ouahigouya barracks, according to inhabitants joined by the France-Presse agency.
The Government of Burkina Faso has recognized Sunday that “shots” had taken place in several barracks in the country, but denied “a power outlet by the army”. “Information conveyed in social networks tend to make a power outlet by the army on this day [Sunday],” said a statement of the government spokesperson, Alkassoum Maiga. “The government, while recognizing the effectiveness of shots in some barracks, denies this information and calls for people to remain serene,” he adds.
These movements in barracks occur in the aftermath of new manifestations of anger of inhabitants exceeded by the impotence of the authorities to cope with the jihadist violence that ravages Burkina Faso. Saturday, incidents erupted in Ouagadougou and other cities in the country between the police and protesters who braved the prohibition to collect to protest against insecurity.
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Since 2015, Burkina Faso has been caught in a spiral of violence attributed to jihadist armed groups, affiliated with Al-Qaida and the Islamic State Organization. The attacks that target civilians and military are becoming more frequent and mostly concentrated in the north and east of the country.