Burkina Faso’s government has confirmed an attack by Gunmen in the capital Ouagadougou, with thee french embassy and a military Headquarters among the targets.
The Government said four attackers had been killed at the embassy and at least two at the HQ.
Seven members of the security forces have been killed, officials say, with another six people wounded. Other reports put the death toll far higher.
A French source said the situation at the embassy was now under control.
It is unclear who is behind the attack but Burkina Faso Information Minister Remis Fulgance Dandjinou told state TV it had “strong overtones of terrorism”.
Burkina Faso police have given an initial death toll of six attackers and seven security personnel, with another six people wounded, including two civilians.
However, security sources told Agence France-Presse that at least 28 people were killed in the attack on the military HQ. This has not been confirmed.
One witness, Omar Zombre, told local TV: “We saw four people who were trying to enter the embassy on the east side. They were in civilian attire, with a kind of vest and backpacks with Kalashnikovs which were clearly visible.
“So they tried, but they didn’t manage it and so they tried to enter from the west side. We saw that they had set a car on fire. When we went up [to the roof] we heard gunshots from an automatic weapon, [it was] very intense.”
Source: BBC AFRICA
