18 killed in attack on restaurant
ADDIS ABABA: Gunmen riding motorcycles roared up to a Turkish restaurant in the capital of the West African state of Burkina Faso and opened fire, killing 18 people in a stand-off with security forces that lasted into the early hours of yesterday morning.
Communications Minister Remi Dandjinou told reporters that security forces had killed two of the gunmen and were now searching the neighbourhood for any others, adding that at least 20 other people were injured in the attack on the Aziz Istanbul restaurant.
Gunmen from the North Africa branch of al-Qaeda attacked a hotel and coffee shop on the same busy avenue in the capital, Ouagadougou, in January last year, killing at least two dozen people.
Al-Qaeda’s North African branch, in alliance with local extremist groups, has been aiming to spread its attacks beyond its base in the Sahara desert, with assaults on a beach resort in the Ivory Coast in March last year and on the Radisson Blu hotel in Mali’s capital in November 2015.
The group is under heavy pressure from a French-led coalition of forces that is hunting it in the militants’ desert strongholds, killing a number of its commanders. It has vowed to attack France’s allies in the region.
For his part, French President Emmanuel Macron said yesterday that France would remain committed to working with the countries of the region “in the fight against terrorist groups”.
Burkina Faso has largely been spared the terrorist attacks taking place elsewhere in the Sahel region.
Its President Roch Kabore condemned the attack, expressed condolences to the families of the victims and praised security forces for their prompt response.
“The fight against terrorism is a long term battle which is why I appeal for vigilance, solidarity and unity for the whole nation,” he tweeted yesterday.
The attack began around 9pm local time on Sunday when four gunmen arrived on motorcycles, pulled assault rifles out of their bags and opened fire on diners on the terrace outside the restaurant, according to Radio France Internationale.
The restaurant was known as a place were foreigners gathered and it was packed on Sunday night with a birthday party, the radio report added.
Security forces arrived in armoured vehicles and surrounded the area, eventually cornering the gunmen in an upper floor of the restaurant where they took hostages, said Dandjinou.
The Turkish foreign ministry said at least one of its nationals had been killed and French broadcaster BFM said a French citizen also died in the attack.