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Burkina Faso issues arrest warrant for Ivory Coast speaker

Witnesses that were at the scene said two vehicle bombs went off outside the hotel at approximately 1930 local time; one of the cars is on fire.

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Unconfirmed reports suggest a hostage situation is ongoing at the hotel.

The Cappuccino cafe-restaurant opposite the hotel, which is also popular with westerners, had also been targeted, a witness who spoke to AFP added.

The explosions were followed by armed assault by multiple gunmen.

The putsch on September 17 was staged by crack troops from a presidential guard loyal to former head of state Compaore, who was ousted in a popular uprising 2014.

While Burkina Faso has largely been spared the violence wracked by Islamic extremist groups in Mali, a Romanian national was abducted last April.

In addition, President Roch Marc Kabore, the new president, broke with the past on Wednesday by picking a cabinet packed with ministers who had not served under the previous administration of longtime leader Blaise Compaore, who was president for 27 years.

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Ranked 183rd out of the 186 countries on the United Nations human development index, poverty is endemic amongst Burkina Faso’s 18 million people. Its economic prosperity fluctuates wildly, as it hinges upon gold and cotton prices.

Initial reports suggest the attack included two car bombs outside the hotel