Burkina: mutinous soldiers demand "more suitable means" in the fight against the jihadists

Burkinabe security forces facing demonstrators who gathered in support of the mutinous soldiers, in Ouagadougou, January 23, 2022. © Olympia de Maismont, AFP

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Soldiers mutinied on Sunday January 23 in several barracks in Burkina Faso to demand the departure of army chiefs and " 

 " to fight against the jihadists who have struck the country since 2015. The government recognizes shootings in several barracks, but denied " 

 ".

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With our correspondent in Ouagadougou,

In front of the Sangoulé Lamizana camp where we were, shortly before 6 p.m., in the Gounghin district, soldiers were still posted, assault rifles in hand.

They continued to shoot in the early afternoon.

We counted a hundred people, but there are more than that, because there were some who were going back and forth between inside and outside the camp.

Before our eyes, these soldiers handed over their food rations, consisting of bread and tins of sardines, to the populations.

Hundreds of demonstrators then gathered a few meters from these soldiers.

These demonstrators said they had come to support the soldiers.

Around 3:00 p.m., an official source informed us that these soldiers had expressed their concerns about the recovery of certain officers and an improvement in their conditions and that the Minister of the Armed Forces, General Barthélémy Simporé was in discussion with these soldiers.

Protesters attack ruling party campaign headquarters

A group of protesters ransacked and set fire to part of the venue which served as the ruling party's presidential campaign headquarters.

It was the headquarters of Roch Christian Kaboré's campaign team.

The ground floor of the building, on several levels, went up in smoke.

According to witnesses, it was when these demonstrators began to attack the rest of the building that they were dispersed by the police.

An important safety device is on site for the protection of the building.  

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• Burkina Faso