OUAGADOUGOU - Disgruntled soldiers in Burkina Faso, including members of President Blaise Compaore’s security guard, fired their weapons in the capital yesterday after going on a rampage in an apparent mutiny, witnesses said.
It was the most serious incident in a series of protests over the past month by soldiers in the west African country.
“I was going in the direction of the Lamizana [military] camp when I heard the gunfire. I saw people rushing back towards me, so I turned around and went back home,” said Pierre Tapsoba, a resident of the Gounghin neighbourhood in the west of the capital Ouagadougou. “I haven’t been out since. It’s bad,” he said.
A military source, who asked not to be named, said some members of the presidential security regiment stationed near Compaore’s palace had fired into the air late on Thursday, angry that promised benefits had not been paid.
Soldiers from three more barracks joined the protest and the houses of some military chiefs responsible for presidential security were attacked, the source said.
Witnesses heard automatic weapons fire from around 9pm on Thursday. The shooting continued yesterday in parts of Ouagadougou, with soldiers looting shops and commandeering cars.
Calm returned to the city’s streets in the early afternoon.
A second Gounghin resident said he had seen soldiers speeding in 4x4 pick-ups and firing in the air. One taxi driver was dragged out of his car, which was taken by the soldiers.
A government statement said there had been a “demonstration” by soldiers since Thursday to demand housing and food subsidies.
“The government reassures the population that measures are being taken at this moment to resolve this situation, and expresses its regret and solidarity for all the people who have suffered inconveniences in this event,” the statement said.
A military source later said the mutineers in the presidential guard had received housing and food allowances. “We’ve found money to satisfy them, so it should be the end of the problem. But you never know with these kids,” he said, adding that 40 cars had been stolen by the soldiers.
Burkina Faso has been under President Compaore’s tight rule since he took power in a 1987 coup and has so far avoided the conflicts and upheavals seen by many neighbouring countries. – (Reuters)