Unrest in the capital of Burkina Faso

17 September 2015, 07:46

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2...fears/?intcmp=hplnws

OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso – Soldiers arrested Burkina Faso's transitional president and prime minister Wednesday, raising fears of a coup just weeks before the country was to hold an election to replace its longtime leader who was ousted in a popular uprising late last year.

Hours later, gunfire erupted in the capital as the soldiers behind the standoff tried to disperse protesters who were marching on the presidential palace where the two transitional leaders were being detained. It was not immediately clear whether any of the demonstrators were wounded.

People could be seen fleeing in all directions as the shooting continued, according to an Associated Press reporter at the scene.

Members of the presidential security unit formed by the ex-president who was ousted from power last year have been publicly at odds with the transitional leaders in recent months. On Wednesday, they banned the interim president and prime minister from leaving, and were seen putting up barricades around the presidential palace.

17 September 2015, 16:29

Thunder Head

Not too good. I hope they get it ironed out before February 2016.

17 September 2015, 16:54

Skip Nantz

quote:
Originally posted by Thunder Head:
Not too good. I hope they get it ironed out before February 2016.

I agree. Will see you there!

17 September 2015, 16:59

bwanajay

I Hope it lines out too. Bwanamrm and I are headed there in February 2016.

17 September 2015, 19:21

Thunder Head

Bwanajay,

We are all going on the same trip.

The military just made it official. The have taken over the government.

17 September 2015, 21:03

Trapper Tom

Same thing happened to me last year one month before I was supposed to go. It all worked out.

17 September 2015, 22:12

Kathi

http://ouagadougou.usembassy.gov/curfewborder.html

U.S. Embassy Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso

Emergency Message for U.S. Citizens - Curfew Established, Borders Closed

September 17, 2015

U.S. Embassy informs U.S. citizens that a curfew between 7:00 pm and 6:00 am has been established and is effective immediately.

The Ouagadougou International Airport is closed and all flights in and out of Ouagadougou have been canceled until further notice. Land borders are also reportedly closed.

Embassy staff has been instructed to continue to shelter in place until further notice. The U.S. Embassy remains open to provide emergency services only to U.S. citizens.

Gunshots have been fired in various locations in Ouagadougou and social media reports indicate that civilians have been injured with gunshot wounds.

Road blocks have been established throughout Ouagadougou.

Civil society organizations continue to call for demonstrators to gather at the Place de la Nation (also known as the Place de la Revolution) and at the Presidential Palace. Demonstrations have also been reported in Bobo-Dioulasso and Ouahigouya.

The U.S. Embassy in Ouagadougou has not received any threat information pertaining to U.S. citizens, or U.S. interests

We urge U.S. citizens in Ouagadougou to shelter in place and make movements for essential purposes only. U.S. citizens in other parts of Burkina Faso may also find that the best option is to shelter in place. Additionally, U.S. citizens should remain vigilant and utilize appropriate personal security practices. Large gatherings, protests, and demonstrations should be avoided. Even demonstrations intended to be peaceful can turn confrontational and escalate into violence. U.S. citizens should maintain situational awareness and exercise good judgment. Be alert and remain aware of your surroundings. Stay informed and abreast of local media reports.

17 September 2015, 22:44

boarkiller

It wouldn't be Africa if there wasn't some political mess somewhere
Somebody could make TV show called " Africa, what do you know "

" Until the day breaks and the nights shadows flee away " Big ivory for my pillow and 2.5% of Neanderthal DNA flowing thru my veins.
When I'm ready to go, pack a bag of gunpowder up my ass and strike a fire to my pecker, until I squeal like a boar.
Yours truly , Milan The Boarkiller - World according to Milan
PS I have big boar on my floor...but it ain't dead, just scared to move...

Man should be happy and in good humor until the day he dies...
Only fools hope to live forever
“ Hávamál”

17 September 2015, 22:53

twoseventy

quote:
Originally posted by bwanajay:
I Hope it lines out too. Bwanamrm and I are headed there in February 2016.

Me Too!

...I say that hunters go into Paradise when they die, and live in this world more joyfully than any other men.
-Edward, duke of York

". . . when a man has shot an elephant his life is full." ~John Alfred Jordan

"The budget should be balanced, the Treasury should be refilled, public debt should be reduced, the arrogance of officialdom should be tempered and controlled, and the assistance to foreign lands should be curtailed lest Rome become bankrupt. People must again learn to work, instead of living on public assistance." Cicero - 55 BC

"The smallest minority on earth is the individual. Those who deny individual rights cannot claim to be defenders of minorities." - Ayn Rand

Cogito ergo venor- KPete

“It is not from the benevolence of the butcher, the brewer, or the baker, that we expect our dinner, but from their regard to their own self-interest. We address ourselves, not to their humanity but to their self-love, and never talk to them of our own necessities but of their advantages.”
― Adam Smith - “Wealth of Nations”