Students and police were involved in violent clashes last week in Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso.

The pupils from the largest secondary school in the city, Zinda Secondary, were dispersed using tear gas after throwing stones at police. The pupils were objecting to government plans to alter admission standards for some university courses.

In recent months there have been similar clashes involving third-level students from Ouagadougou Technical College, who built barricades and set piles of tyres on fire. They have been continuing their protests for an increase in grant payments.