The passing of a French military convoy creates tension in Burkina Faso

He is not welcome. A large contingent of logistics from the French army has been a source of contention in Burkina Faso, where protesters have been protesting since Thursday, reaching neighboring Niger. On Saturday, November 20, at least four people were injured in the main city of Gaya in the north-central part of the country.

“Tensions escalated this morning between protesters and French soldiers who spent the night in a vacant lot. As protesters tried to get closer to the perimeter, soldiers fired warning shots., Agency France-Presse (AFP) A local source affiliated with Gaya, triggers “Gunshot wounds”, The hospital confirmed the evidence.

Four people injured by the bullets were admitted to the emergency department of Gaya Regional Hospital.The hospital sources said “Patient’s major prognosis is not at risk”. The state daily Chidvaya reported the news on Saturday evening “Three injured following warning shots”, Indicates the presence of one of them “Shot in the cheek”.

“Release Sahel”

The AFP could not determine the appearance of the bullets, confirming evidence that French and Burkina Faso soldiers all fired warning grenades to disperse protesters.

“A group of protesters tried to cut through the fence to get caught and Burkina Faso genders fired tear gas to disperse the crowd. French soldiers fired warning shots above the crowd.”, Said a source from the French public service. “No injuries were reported due to the action of the French soldiers. Following the tear gas canisters, we are not aware of any casualties., According to the same source that confirms it “Negotiations are underway between Burkina Faso officials and protesters”.

On Friday, thousands of people gathered in Gaya to protest the passing of the convoy from C டிte d’Ivoire to Niger. Slogans like “French army destroys”, “Release Sahel”, “The military parade of French invasion and decolonization is no more”, Written on signs and banners stamped by protesters. Burkina Faso sang the national anthem with their fists in the air in front of a French convoy of several dozen vehicles.

This “Convoy Niamey with sixty trucks and one hundred French soldiers from Abidjan then heading to Cao” No. “Not a convoy of weapons for jihadists, we can read on social media”, Underlined by French staff.

The president must resign

According to Roland Biola, the convoy was already blocked by protesters in Bobo Diolaso ​​(West), where Burkina Faso security forces had to use tear gas to disperse protesters. The Coalition of African Patriots (Copa-PF) in Burkina Faso called for the protests.

“We have decided to prevent it, because despite the agreements signed with France, we continue to record deaths and our countries remain armed.”, He told the AFP.

On Tuesday, several hundred people attended demonstrations in several cities across the country demanding the resignation of Burkina Faso President Roche Marc Christian Cabore. “Inability to put an end to terrorist attacks”, Two days after the jihadist attack At least 53 people, including 49 gendarmes, have been killed in Inada, in the north of the country.

Burkina Faso has been facing regular and deadly jihadi attacks since 2015, especially in the northern and eastern regions, in the so-called “three borders”, along the borders with Mali and Niger, both countries facing armed jihadist operations. .