BURKINA Faso has begun three days of national mourning after al-Qaeda fighters in a vehicle from neighbouring Niger Republic killed at least 28 people in an attack on a hotel and cafe popular with foreigners.
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Burkina Faso’s security minister says several people are being questioned in connection with Friday’s attack.
“Of the six assailants, three were killed and three others are still being sought”, Valls said in remarks before the French parliament, adding that the attack on Ouagadougou was a reminder of a similar attack in Paris in November.
“They’ll attack western interested when it suits them”, said retired colonel George Petrolekas, of the Conference of Defence Associations Institute.
Some of those injured in the attack openly expressed frustration on Tuesday that it had taken authorities so long to find the killers. “So we were under gunfire from 7.45pm until 3am”. “That three people could challenge a country, it’s incomprehensible”. The identity of the sixth person could not immediately be verified, but Quebec and Burkina Faso media said all six were travelling together on a humanitarian trip.
Burkina Faso’s soldier stands near Hotel Splendid.
“They were only three who conducted the raid”.
“I wake up the next morning and nobody has responded to my messages … it was a Surete de Quebec police officer who came on behalf of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to tell me they were all dead”, she told FM93.
Within 30 minutes the president of Burkina Faso had asked the French ambassador for help, according to a French official who spoke on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to speak to the press.
WorldWatch Monitor reports a total of seven of the 29 people killed were in the West African nation due to their Christian faith.
Although Sajjan didn’t mention west Africa by name, Petrolekas said he wouldn’t be surprised if the Liberals – in offsetting criticism for pulling jets out of Iraq -considered some form of contribution to the ongoing French mission against AQIM. Security forces responding at the scene of events initially believed they were facing a team of 12 gunmen.
JOE PENNEY/REUTERS Pizzas are seen on the terrace of Cappuccino restaurant after the bloody gun attack.
It was then that Burkinabe and French forces realized that the attackers had been hiding at the restaurant.
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Riddering arrived early and was in the cafe with a local pastor; when the attack started, they ran in different directions, Boyle said.
