Gunmen attack French embassy, army HQ in Burkina Faso

Some gunmen attacked the army headquarters and French embassy in Ouagadougou, capital of Burkina Faso, on Friday.

A witness at the scene said masked gunmen with backpacks attacked the army headquarters after an explosion.

The embassy also confirmed the attack.

“Attack underway at the French Embassy and French Institute. Stay hidden where you are,” the embassy said in a statement posted on its Facebook site.

A Reuters witness said other smaller explosions came from the headquarters after a first larger blast and that security forces were converging on the scene.

Burkina Faso, like other countries in West Africa, has been targeted sporadically by groups operating across Africa’s Sahel region.

Suspected militants killed at least 18 people in August 2017 during a raid on a restaurant in Ouagadougou and militants have targeted Burkinabe security forces along its remote northern border region with Mali.

Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb claimed responsibility for an attack on a restaurant and hotel in Ouagadougou in January 2016 in which 30 people were killed.

Five regional countries launched a new taskforce in 2017 to tackle Islamist militants in the zone, to which international donors have committed a half-billion dollars.