A Perth doctor and his wife, abducted by suspected Islamist extremists in West Africa, have “dedicated their lives” to helping people, a family spokesperson says.
Advertisement
They have been running a hospital in the country’s north in the town of Djibo, close to Burkina Faso’s border with Mali.
Burkina Faso’s Communications Minister Remi Dandjinou said yesterday the couple were Australian nationals, correcting an earlier interior ministry statement identifying them as Austrian.
“There is a very strong political will on the part of the two states to combine our efforts to fight terrorism”, said Burkina Faso’s prime minister, Paul Kaba Thieba.
The 29 people killed in the attack in Burkina Faso’s capital included six Canadians, two French people, two Swiss nationals and an American. Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) claimed responsibility for the raid.
President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday assured President Roch Marc Kabore and the people of Burkina Faso of Nigeria’s solidarity and support as they grapple with the aftermath of Friday night’s terrorist attack on Ouagadougou.
Witness Vital Nounagnon told the AP that he saw four men attack the hotel and neighboring Cappuccino Cafe about 7:30 p.m. Another witness who gave only his first name, Gilbert, said that when Burkinabe security forces first arrived, they turned around rather than confront the attackers.
Although Santomenna was not at the cafe and survived the attack, the couple’s child was also killed in the shootings, according to the Ukrainian foreign ministry.
“Elliott is all for us and we need him like a baby needs his mother”, said resident Moussa Dicko, quoted on the page. One U.S. military member was embedded with French forces at the scene, and the United States was working to help provide France with surveillance and reconnaissance help, according to a U.S. senior defense official who was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.
Burkina Faso, formerly known as Upper Volta, is a landlocked country in West Africa.
The attack began around 7:45 pm local time on Friday (Jan 15) when an unknown number of attackers stormed the 147-room Splendid Hotel in the heart of Ouagadougou.
French President Francois Hollande led global condemnation of what he described as an “odious and cowardly attack”.
Burkina Faso has announced a 72-hour mourning period in response to the attack.
Advertisement
They then took off to the Splendid Hotel, where they seized hostages. The transitional government returned to power until Burkina Faso’s November election ushered in new leaders. In April, it claimed the abduction of the Romanian security chief of a mine in the country’s north.
