2 yıl önce

Police fire tear at anti-government protest in Burkina Faso

The protesters call for President Roch Marc Christian Kabore to resign for his government's inability to stop attacks linked to Al Qaeda and Daesh spreading across the country.

AP

This is the second government crackdown on protests since November and comes after the government shut down access to Facebook last week.

Security forces have fired tear gas at protesters barricading the streets and throwing rocks in Burkina Faso’s capital, as anger grows at the government’s inability to stop attacks spreading across the country.

Several hundred people marched through downtown Ouagadougou on Saturday chanting for President Roch Marc Christian Kabore to resign.

“People are dying, others are fleeing their homes. … We want Roch and his government to resign because their handling of the country is not good. We will never support them,” said protester Amidou Tiemtore.

Some people were also protesting in solidarity with neighbouring Mali, whose citizens are angry at the West African economic regional bloc, ECOWAS, which imposed sanctions on the country after the ruling junta delayed this year’s elections.

Escalation in violence

Burkina Faso’s protest comes amid an escalation in attacks linked to Al Qaeda and the Daesh that has killed thousands and displaced 1.5 million people.

The violence shows no signs of abating. Nearly 12,000 people were displaced within two weeks in December, according to the UN.

This is the second government crackdown on protests since November and comes after the government shut down access to Facebook last week, citing security reasons, and after arresting 15 people for allegedly plotting a coup.

SOURCE: TRTWorld and agencies