Car Bombs Go Off Then Gunmen Storm Splendid Hotel In Burkina Faso

Eyewitnesses said two car bombs went off outside the Splendid hotel at around 19:30 local time (same as GMT).

Three to four masked men then stormed the Splendid Hotel, which is used by UN staff and westerners, witnesses said.

Foreign Minister Alpha Barry confirmed people died and said security forces would launch a raid to free hostages.

Witnesses said the gunman had entered the nearby Cappuccino cafe. One employee at the cafe told Agence France Presse that “several people” had been killed there.

One group that monitors jihadist networks said al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghrebclaimed it was behind the attack.

Eyewitnesses reported hearing exchanges of gunfire between the men and security forces, as well as sporadic gunfire from inside the four-star hotel close to the country’s international airport.

At least one car was seen burning outside the building.

Three hours after the attack started, an Associated Press reporter at the scene reported seeing soldiers in an armoured vehicle arrive in the area.

In the latest developments:

• Local TV station Burkina 24 says that security forces are preparing to intervene
• France’s ambassador to Burkina Faso, Gilles Thibault, says a curfew is in place until 06:00 local time
• The US embassy in Ouagadougou says it is aware of the incident and is “closely following” the situation

A similar attack by Islamist militants on a hotel in neighbouring Mali in November left 20 people dead.

Burkina Faso had recently held its first presidential election since a coup earlier last year.

That coup toppled long-time leader Blaise Compaore, who had governed for 27 years.

“We are still in a context of political fragility, so I think the timing of this attack is meaningful,” Cynthia Ohayon, an analyst with the International Crisis Group, told the BBC from Ouagadougou.

“The country has long borders with Mali and Niger, and we know there are armed groups present on the border, so this was probably something we had coming.” source-bbc

photo-travelpod-Splendid Hotel Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso)