Attack strike upscale hotel in Burkina Faso's capital

[rooster59]

Attack strike upscale hotel in Burkina Faso's capital

BRAHIMA OUEDRAOGO, Associated Press


OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso (AP) — Attackers struck an upscale hotel popular with Westerners in Burkina Faso's capital late Friday, fueling the recent political turmoil in the West African country. Three hours later, gunfire could still be heard as soldiers in an armored vehicle finally approached the area.

An Associated Press reporter near the scene said that several cars were also ablaze outside the 147-room Splendid Hotel in downtown 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 security forces first arrived, they turned around rather than confront the attackers.

"But we know that the gunmen won't get out of the hotel alive," he said. "Our country is not for jihadists or terrorists. They got it wrong."

The AP reporter saw an armored vehicle with security forces arrive nearly three hours after the attack.

It was not immediately clear what group may have been behind the violence, though jihadists have attacked hotels before in neighboring Mali, including a devastating attack on the Radisson Blu hotel in November that left 20 people dead.

The U.S. Embassy in Ouagadougou tweeted: "We are closely following the situation downtown."

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

Burkina Faso, a largely Muslim country, has been in turmoil since its longtime president was ousted in a popular uprising in late 2014. Last September members of a presidential guard launched a coup that lasted only about a week. The transitional government returned to power until Burkina Faso's November election ushered in new leaders.

-- (c) Associated Press 2016-01-16

[soalbundy]

Burkina Faso ? i don't even know what street it's on, sounds like a new dog food product.

[rooster59]

Minister: 30 hostages freed from Burkina Faso hotel siege

BRAHIMA OUEDRAOGO, Associated Press


OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso (AP) — Al-Qaida militants struck an upscale hotel and nearby cafe late Friday that were popular with Westerners in Burkina Faso's capital, taking an unknown number of hostages and forcing others to hide for their lives as gunfire and explosions rang out. The country's troops backed by French forces were still trying to retake control of the building more than nine hours later.

It was not immediately known how many people may have been killed during the siege, though a survivor told hospital director Robert Sangare he estimated the toll could be as high as 20. Communications Minister Remis Dandjinou said early Saturday that 33 people had been evacuated from the Splendid Hotel including the country's public works minister.

The local al-Qaida affiliate known as AQIM claimed responsibility online even as the attack was ongoing in downtown Ouagadougou at the 147-room Splendid Hotel, according to the SITE Intelligence Group.

In a message posted in Arabic on the militants' "Muslim Africa" Telegram account, it said fighters had "broke into a restaurant of one of the biggest hotels in the capital of Burkina Faso, and are now entrenched and the clashes are continuing with the enemies of the religion." Fighters who spoke by phone later "asserted the fall of many dead Crusaders," AQIM said, according to SITE.

In the early morning hours, French forces arrived in Ouagadougou from neighboring Mali to aid the effort. Burkinabe soldiers already had stormed the building, at one point briefly setting part of the building ablaze with their explosives.

Cars in front of the hotel also had been set on fire by the attackers, who stormed the bustling area downtown Friday evening.

Witness Vital Nounagnon told the AP that he saw four men wearing turbans 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.

"But we know that the gunmen won't get out of the hotel alive," he said. "Our country is not for jihadists or terrorists. They got it wrong."

A man who works the day shift at the Cappuccino Cafe, Alpha Ouedraogo, had left just 90 minutes before the attack began. He said he had been in touch by phone with other employees and that more than a dozen of them were in hiding and awaiting rescue.

Burkina Faso, a largely Muslim country, had for years been mostly spared from the violence carried out by Islamic extremist groups who were abducting foreigners for ransom in Mali and Niger. Then last April, a Romanian national was kidnapped in an attack that was the first of its kind in Burkina Faso.

The country also has been in growing political turmoil since its longtime president was ousted in a popular uprising in late 2014. Last September members of a presidential guard launched a coup that lasted only about a week. The transitional government returned to power until Burkina Faso's November election ushered in new leaders.

Friday's violence mirrored a devastating attack on the Radisson Blu hotel in neighboring Mali back in November that left 20 people dead. In that case, Malian troops — backed by French and American special forces — swarmed in to retake the building and free terrified guests and hotel staff during a siege that lasted more than seven hours.

The Bamako hotel attack also was claimed by a leader of AQIM, who said it had been carried out as a declaration of unity with Algerian militant Moktar Belmoktar's extremist group Al-Mourabitoun, according to an audio speech that was distributed by SITE at the time. Belmoktar was a former leader in AQIM before starting his own group, which now has merged back with al-Qaida.

-- (c) Associated Press 2016-01-16

[Daffy D]

Burkina Faso ? i don't even know what street it's on, sounds like a new dog food product.

Used to be Upper Volta.

[stickylies]

I was there in the 90s. Has its share of muslims but majority are non-radical (non-strict) as they combine it with animism and hokus pokus...

ps. (edit): of course i don't know how BF is doing these (troubled) days. I was in Mali too and that was a great place once (peaceful) and has changed too unfortunately.

Edited January 16, 2016 by stickylies

[Ulic]

Burkina Faso ? i don't even know what street it's on, sounds like a new dog food product.

Used to be Upper Volta.

Well........That clears things up for me then.

[dao16]

I was there in the 90s. Has its share of muslims but majority are non-radical (non-strict) as they combine it with animism and hokus pokus...

ps. (edit): of course i don't know how BF is doing these (troubled) days. I was in Mali too and that was a great place once (peaceful) and has changed too unfortunately.

Yeah, when I was in West Africa in the early 2000's, Burkina Faso and especially Mali were the most popular destinations for holidays for expats. Too bad they have devolved in this last decade and a half.

[connda]

"But we know that the gunmen won't get out of the hotel alive," he said. "Our country is not for jihadists or terrorists. They got it wrong."

The jihadis have it right in their own minds: Die martyrs and fast track to Muslim Paradise.

Imho there is sometime terribly wrong with a religion whose pinnacle of spiritually is having unlimited debauched sex forever and ever as their God approvingly supplies them with virgins as a reward for senseless murder while in this earthly plane of existence.

"[it] said fighters had "broke into a restaurant of one of the biggest hotels in the capital of Burkina Faso, and are now entrenched and the clashes are continuing with the enemies of the religion." This statement translated, "We've come to kill apostate Muslims (those who are secular or combine Islam with 'animism and hokus pokus'), Christians and Jews who have not submitted to Dhimmitude, and Kafir (non-Muslims)."

I don't make this stuff up. Read the Koran, Sira, and Hadith. It's all there. Islam's success is based on it's political nature and on the ignorance of non-Muslims. It doesn't stop until the entire world submits to Islam. But don't take my word for it. Do your own investigation. Once you understand, you'll understand the mind-set behind the attacks.

Edited January 17, 2016 by connda