Burkina Faso kumelipuka!

[Askari Kanzu]

Gunfire at Burkina Faso presidential complex
Military bodyguards demanding housing allowance start shooting in the leader's compound, but he was not in the palace.

Last Modified: 15 Apr 2011 07:31

President Blaise Compaore was reportedly not in the compound when the shooting broke out [GALLO/GETTY]

Gunfire erupted at Burkina Faso's presidential compound, as military bodyguards demanding reportedly unpaid housing allowances began firing their weapons. President Blaise Compaore was not in the 50-acre compound on Thursday night, a source told the Associated Press news agency on condition of anonymity.

The shooting came from the military barracks of the presidential guard, the source said. It was not immediately clear if there were casualties, but an ambulance was later seen leaving the compound in the capital Ouagadougou, said the AFP news agency. A military official also said the home of General Dominique Diendiere, Compaore's chief of staff, was "trashed".

"A couple of young soldiers have gone crazy," a source at the barracks told AFP. "We're dealing with it."

Violence spreads
About two hours after the shooting began at 10pm local time, gunfire was also heard near the state radio station in the capital city. Workers hid in the building, and no-one was reported injured.

Compaore, who seized power in a bloody coup 23 years ago, was re-elected in a landslide poll in November, rejected by the opposition as rigged. The former army captain took power in 1987 in the small West African nation after his predecessor was gunned down in his office. Burkina Faso has recently been hit by unrest. On April 8, people took to the streets of Ouagadougou to protest soaring prices of basic foods. In March, students torched government buildings in several cities to protest a young man's death in custody.

The government said he had meningitis, but accusations of mistreatment have fuelled deadly protests, killing at least six others in the town of Koudougou, 100km west of the capital. In late March, disgruntled troops seized military equipment in several towns, including Ouagadougou, looted shops and freed soldiers imprisoned for rape and other sex crimes, says AFP.

Burkina Faso is near the bottom of the United Nation's Human Development Index - which measures general well-being. It's ranked 161 out of 169 nations. It has high rates of unemployment and illiteracy, and most people survive on subsistence agriculture.

Al Jazeera

 

[Awo]

It is pay back time. He masterminded the killing of Capt Thomas Sankara. I do not care what happens to him.

 

[Askari Kanzu]

...I do not care what happens to him.

Apo umepatia!

 

[Askari Kanzu]

Compaore amekacha!

Burkina Faso president leaves capital
18:17 AEST Fri Apr 15 2011

Burkina Faso President Blaise Compaore left the capital Ouagadougou early Friday amid a mutiny by his personal guard that has spread to other barracks, a military source said.

Compaore left during the night for his hometown Ziniare, some 30km north of Ouagadougou, the source said.

Source

 

[Askari Kanzu]

By Agence France-Presse, Updated: 15/04/2011
Burkina Faso leader back in capital amid mutiny

Burkina Faso President Blaise Compaore, facing a mutiny by his personal guard, returned to the capital Friday after heading to his hometown overnight, a source in the presidency said.

Burkina Faso President Blaise Compaore, facing a mutiny by his personal guard, returned to the capital Friday after heading to his hometown overnight, a source in the presidency said. The veteran leader was to meet at the presidential palace, where the mutiny broke out late Thursday, with Choi Young-Jin, the head of the UN peacekeeping force in neighbouring Ivory Coast, the source said.

Compaore, who has been in power since a 1987 military coup, had left Ouagadougou in the middle of night for Ziniare, some 30 kilometres (18 miles) north of the capital. He had left the palace in the dead of night as the mutiny among the presidential guard spread to other army barracks, following a day of mass civilian street protests in the landlocked west African country.

Before leaving, Compaore said "discussions have taken place with the mutineers and they are laying down their arms," although gunfire could be heard near some of the barracks. An AFP journalist reported that small and heavy arms fire first came from the barracks of the elite and well-paid presidential guard before spreading to the other barracks and military camps. Presidential guard members took to the streets, firing into the air, to protest against the non-payment of promised housing subsidies.

The home of General Gilbert Diendiere, Compaore's personal chief of staff, was burned down, the AFP journalist said, adding that soldiers looted many consumer goods stores in the capital. Several people, including civilians, were slightly injured during the sacking of an officer's home, a military source said.

On Thursday, tens of thousands of people across the country marched in protest against the high cost of living in one of the biggest demonstrations seen in many years in Ouagadougou.

Source:

 

[kilimasera]

Wanajeshi katika mji mkuu wa Burkina Faso Ouagadougou wameasi, huku milio ya risasi ikisikika usiku kucha.

Uasi huo umeanza wakati baadhi ya walinzi wa rais walipoanza kupiga risasi hewani wakipinga kutolipwa posho za nyumba.

Rais Blaise Compaore alitarajiwa kukutana na mjumbe wa Umoja wa Mataifa mjini humo, maafisa wamesema, baada ya kukimbia usiku mzima.

Mapema, Bwana Compaore, ambaye yuko madarakani tangu 1987, alijaribu kupata namna ya kuwatuliza askari hao baada ya kutokea malalamiko kama hayo mwezi uliopita.

Mwandishi wa BBC Mathieu Bonkoungou akiwa Ouagadougou anasema ghasia hizo zilisambaa katika kambi nyingine za jeshi na upigaji risasi hewani ukaendelea mpaka karibia na alafajiri.

Hata hivyo inaripotiwa kuwa mji huo mkuu umetulia sasa.

Maandamano yalifanyika siku ya alhamis katika mji huo mkuu na kwenye miji mingine kupinga kupanda bei ya vyakula na shutuma nyingine za kuvunjwa kwa haki za binadamu, shirika la habari la Ufaransa-AFP limeripoti.

 

[TIMING]

It is pay back time. He masterminded the killing of Capt Thomas Sankara. I do not care what happens to him.

Actually kama kuna mtu namchukia humu duniani ni Compaore... he took life of an icon SANKARA

 

[Rutashubanyuma]

Burkina Faso's Blaise Compaore sacks his government

Analysts say President Blaise Compaore's grip on the army appears to be slipping
Continue reading the main story Related Stories

• Country profile: Burkina Faso
• Timeline: Burkina Faso

Burkina Faso's president has dissolved his government after members of his presidential guard went on an overnight rampage in the capital Ouagadougou.
Blaise Compaore named a new army chief and fired the head of his presidential guard after the unrest - apparently in protest against unpaid allowances.
Mr Compaore, in power since 1987, had sought to calm soldiers earlier this month after similar complaints.
Burkina Faso has been affected by the turmoil in neighbouring Ivory Coast.
The World Bank warned on Thursday that the Ivorian conflict had disrupted supplies and also pushed up prices for processed foods such as dried milk, sugar and vegetable oil in Burkina Faso and other landlocked countries in the region such as Mali and Niger.
Presidential grip slipping? The dissolution of government was announced in a statement broadcast on national radio said.
"The secretary generals of ministerial departments will ensure the execution of current business," it said.
Mr Compaore had briefly fled the capital during a reported mutiny by his personal guard overnight.
Gunfire was reported in the presidential compound and nearby barracks after demonstrators marched through the capital and other towns on Thursday, angered by rising food prices and alleged human rights abuses.
Unrest among soldiers in the capital quickly spread to other barracks and firing went on until just before dawn, says the BBC's Mathieu Bonkoungou in Ouagadougou.
Residents were said to be so scared by the shootings that many stayed in their homes throughout Friday.
Mr Compaore has ruled the country since taking power in a coup from his friend Thomas Sankara 23 years ago.
He has since won four presidential elections, the latest in November 2010.
But analysts say his grip on the army appears to be slipping.
Earlier this year, students protested in several cities against the death in detention of a young man. Government buildings were torched and six students were killed.
In March, soldiers went on the rampage and managed to free a number of colleagues arrested for rape.

 

[Askari Kanzu]

Soldiers loot Burkina Faso capital for 2nd night

By: BRAHIMA OUEDRAOGO 04/16/11 8:30 AM
Associated Press

Police in Burkina Faso's capital fired tear gas Saturday on thousands of angry merchants protesting a second night of looting by soldiers, the latest of several recent episodes of unrest in the small West African nation.

On Saturday, the minister of security announced a dusk-to-dawn curfew for Ouagadougou on national radio and television after angry merchants marched through the capital to protest the looting sparked by soldiers protesting their unpaid housing allowances. Witnesses said the soldiers looted shops, stole cars and robbed hotels late Friday and into the early hours of Saturday.

On Saturday, the merchants also looted and torched shops near the city's main market.

"We are not going to stop until we get answers to our problems: we need justice and money to compensate our losses," said Hamade Sawadogo, a protester.

The soldiers' protest started late Thursday when gunfire erupted at the presidential compound and led to overnight looting. That incident prompted President Blaise Compaore to announce late Friday that he was dissolving his government and naming a new army chief and a new head of presidential security.

Source

 

[Congo]

Actually kama kuna mtu namchukia humu duniani ni Compaore... he took life of an icon SANKARA

asante ndugu. Nami namchukia sana. Sina kumbumbu lakini amewahi kuwa mwenyekiti wa oau kama amini.

 

[Yericko Nyerere]

Nitacheka sanaaa! halafu nitanuna ghafla! kisha nitatabasamu kizalendo siku nikisikia TISS wameasi kwakuwa katiba hii ikibadilishwa watakosa tenda wanayopewa na chama cha mafisadi (ccm) kwakuwa watalazimika kurudi kwenye kazi yao halisi

 

[Askari Kanzu]

Mutinous soldiers seize southern Burkina Faso town

Sunday, April 17, 2011
OUAGADOUGOU – Agence France-Presse

Mutinous soldiers overnight wrested control of a southern town in Burkina Faso as a revolt against the west African nation's veteran ruler entered a fourth day, witnesses and doctors said Sunday.

Soldiers at a military garrison at Po near the Ghana border fired in the air and took over the town, looting and seizing private vehicles, residents said. Two people were injured in the firing, a hospital source said. Po, about 140 kilometers from the capital Ouagadougou, houses a training school for Burkinabe military officers.

Burkinabe leader Blaise Compaore dissolved his government and named a new army chief Friday night in a bid to reassert his authority and appease a nation that has been protesting sporadically for change since February.

The protests have drawn youths, magistrates, soldiers and businessmen. On Thursday and Friday, even the presidential guard, among the best-paid of soldiers, rose up, ending their mutiny only after receiving their promised housing allowances.

Compaore, himself a former army captain, was re-elected in November with more than 80 percent of the vote, having won all elections since 1991 after coming to power in a 1987 military coup.

 

[EMT]

Mutinous soldiers have rampaged through a southern town in Bukina Faso as the revolt against Blaise Compaore, the West African nation's ruler, enters its fourth day. Soldiers at a military garrison in Po, near the Ghana border, fired in the air, looting and seizing private vehicles, residents told the AFP news agency.

Two people were injured in the firing, a hospital source said. Po, about 140km south of Ouagadougou, the capital, houses a training school for Burkinabe military officers. The government said the soldiers were protesting over payment of housing and daily food allowances.

"These were young soldiers and there were at least 300 of them," another resident of the town told the Reuters news agency. "They are moving through town and they continue to fire in the air. They are taking people's motorbikes and cars and breaking up shops," he said.

Burkina Faso's government warned on Sunday that it would take action against anyone using illegal arms with "the full force of the law. For several days, soldiers and civilians ... have been using firearms in violation of regulations," the security ministry said in a statement. "This state of affairs will not be tolerated in a state with the rule of law."

The ministry said it was demanding "strict respect for rules on the use of military and civilian arms and munitions" and warned that "all offenders will face the full force of the law".

Curfew

Soldiers in Ouagadougou began shooting at the presidential compound late on Thursday, sparking two nights of looting by soldiers. Hundreds of traders rioted and set fire to the headquarters of Burkina Faso's ruling party on Saturday, in protest against the soldiers looting their shops.

The defence ministry announced a curfew in Ouagadougou from 7pm on Saturday to 6am on Sunday, while France warned its citizens not to travel to the country. "The situation in Burkina Faso, especially Ouagadougou, is currently marked by tension due to the soldier's protest," the French foreign ministry said, adding that travellers also faced an increased risk of highway robbery and kidnapping.

The mutiny prompted the president to sack his government, the army chief and his head of presidential security. Compaore, who came to power in a 1987 military coup, has faced a series of protests since February, staged first by students and then by soldiers.

He won a new five-year term in office after taking 80 per cent of the votes in November elections. Tens of thousands of people marched in Ouagadougou last week against the high cost of living. The country ranks 161 out of 169 countries on the UN Human Development Index, a composite measure of the quality of life. Shops, banks and petrol stations have remained shut since Thursday.

Aljazeera

 

[boma2000]

I hate Campaore for overthrew and killing his close friend President Thomas Sankara. Let him face fire fire fire fire, fire to Campaore

 

[Manumbu]

His killing of Thomas Sankara has never been forgiven. If he is overthrown and he is alive, for sure he will face trial for that and other murders he has committed during his regime. he is one of not liked figure leaders in the world. Down with Compaore

 

[Bulesi]

He should pay for the sin he committed by killing the true African revolutionary Thomas Sankara!! He is even lucky he should have been overthrown decades ago.

 

[EMT]

Burkina Faso army mutiny spreads to fourth city

An army mutiny which erupted last week in the West African state of Burkina Faso has spread to a fourth city. Protests have now broken out in Kaya in the north of the country, following disturbances in Po and Tenkodogo. The trouble started last Thursday when soldiers and presidential guards in the capital Ouagadougou protested about unpaid housing allowances. Hours before the revolt broke out, tens of thousands of people had demonstrated against high food prices.

'Police join mutiny'

President Blaise Compaore, a former coup leader in power since 1987, has sacked his government and appointed a new head of the armed forces to try to quell the unrest. His government warned on Sunday that mutinous soldiers would face "the full force of the law". BBC Ouagadougou correspondent Mathieu Bonkongou confirmed that the unrest had now reached Kaya.

Soldiers and police reportedly took to the city's streets late on Sunday and began firing guns into the air until the early hours of Monday. It is said to be the first time that police have taken part in the mutiny. The violence in the capital had seen at least 45 injured people admitted to hospital. In March, some soldiers went on the rampage and managed to free a number of colleagues arrested for rape.

BBC News - Burkina Faso army mutiny spreads to fourth city

 

[Gavana]

huu ni moto wa kifuu

 

[Askari Kanzu]

Burkina Faso’s new PM promises inclusive gov’t

April 20, 2011|Brahima Ouedraogo, Associated Press

Burkina Faso’s new prime minister said Wednesday he will appoint an inclusive government to resolve the causes behind a mutiny that threatened the president’s 24-year rule in the impoverished country.

In his first interview since his appointment on Monday, Luc Adolphe Tiao told state television that the government appointed this week in the aftermath of the unrest would work through dialogue to solve the crisis. Tiao, the West African country’s ambassador to France, was appointed Monday. President Blaise Compaore tried to stem the unrest Friday by dissolving the government — but keeping himself in power — and removing the country’s security chiefs, including the army head.

Source:

 

[nyamagaro]

Let him go. Kill him soldiers