Panafrican News Agency

Burkina Faso: Calm returns to military camp that fired warning shots

Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso (PANA)   -   Calm returned Friday to the Ouédraogo military camp here where soldiers disgruntled after Monday's deadly attack fired warning shots, the Burkinabè government said.

On the night of August 22 to 23, 2019 shots were heard in Camp Guillaume Ouedraogom, confirmed the spokesman of the government, Remis Dandjinou, in a statement.

"The General Staff of the national armed forces has returned to the Camp and got the return to calm and serenity,” the spokesman said.

Dandjinou pointed out that it appeared from the exchanges that this situation was "the expression of resentment" in relation to the attack on Koutougou which killed 24 soldiers.

“The government reassures the population on the republican character of the national armed forces and invites people to go about their business,” he said.

On Thursday, the staff of the armies denied this action among the troops, preferring to speak of a "strong emotion felt in the units affected" by the attack.

The 24 soldiers killed were buried Thursday while the five who were missing were found alive, according to the army.

The president of Burkina Faso, Roch Marc Christian Kaboré, decreed a national mourning of three days starting from Friday.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the attack and offered his condolences to the people of Burkina Faso.

Terrorist attacks have so far killed nearly 500 people and displaced 280,000 persons internally in Burkina Faso, where several provinces have been living under a state of emergency since January 2019.

 

-0-    PANA    NTDD/ IS/KND/RA     23Aug2019