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Clashes at Burkina Faso hotel hosting talks

September 20, 2015

Supporters of Burkina Faso's military coup have broken into the hotel where negotiators were due to announce a deal on ending the crisis. Previously, the mediators hinted at the return of the civilian government.

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Burkina Faso Proteste und Gewalt
Image: Reuters/J. Penney

The violence broke out at the hotel in Burkina Faso capital Ouagadougou, the site of the talks between the military junta, opposition and international mediators.

During the scuffle, dozens of coup supporters managed to force their way into the building's lobby and attack participants arriving for the meeting on Sunday.

"They invaded the hotel. It was violent," a witness said to the Reuters news agency. "They attacked ex-opposition members as they arrived. One had to be saved from the crowd by security forces."

Mediators at risk

Most of the negotiators, including foreign ambassadors, had already arrived at the Laico Hotel when the incident occurred.

"I am with my colleagues. We are okay. We have not been taken hostage. We are free," France's ambassador to Burkina Faso Gilles Thibault said via his Twitter account.

Several of rioters belonged to the militants of the CDP party, which ruled Burkina Faso under ex-president Blaise Compaore, the Reuters witness said.

The pro-coup protesters also clashed with the demonstrators opposing the military takeover, as the two crowds waited for news on the talks in front of the hotel.

Press conference canceled

The crisis in Burkina Faso was triggered on Wednesday, when the elite Presidential Security Regiment stormed a cabinet meeting and arrested Transitional President Michel Kafando. The presidential guard is loyal to Compaore, who had ruled Burkina Faso for 27 years before being ousted by popular uprising in 2014.

After detaining the top government members, the army installed former Compaore's right hand man and spy chief General Gilbert Diendere as the new leader.

United States, the former colonial power France and other international agents quickly denounced the coup, with African Union suspending Burkina Faso and threatening sanctions.

Faced with international pressure, the army released Kafando and started negotiations. On Saturday, Benin's President Thomas Boni Yayi announced that all the actors" in the crisis would meet Sunday to announce "good news."

However, the press conference was canceled after the Sunday violence.

At least ten people have been killed in the army crackdown on the anti-coup demonstrations in the last several days, with over 100 injured, a source from an Ouagadougou hospital said Saturday.

dj/sgb (dpa, Reuters, AFP, AP)