'Seventeen dead' in Burkina Faso attack

[oberliner]

Source: BBC

Seventeen people have been killed and eight wounded in a "terrorist attack" in the centre of the capital of Burkina Faso, Ouagadougou, the government says.

Witnesses were quoted as saying that three gunmen opened fire on customers seated outside a hotel and restaurant.

The city centre has been sealed off by the army, and the US embassy in Ouagadougou has warned its citizens to avoid the area.

A jihadist attack on a cafe nearby left 30 people dead in January last year.

Read more: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-40920338?ns_mchannel=social&ns_campaign=bbc_breaking&ns_source=twitter&ns_linkname=news_central

[Catmusicfan]

1. ...

[Stuart G]

2. Burkina Faso...used to be called, "Upper Volta"

Last edited Mon Aug 14, 2017, 12:04 AM - Edit history (4)

It is the Africa. It is South of Mali, approximately 600 - 700 miles South of Algeria. It is directly North of Ghana and the Ivory Coast. Ouagadougou is the capital of the country, and has a population of 1,500,000. The country is totally land locked. It used to be a French colony and the official language spoken is French. Other languages are also spoken.......

Official languages
French
_______________________________________________
Recognised national languages
Mòoré
Fulani
Dioula[1]
_______________________________________________



At this link, you see a map of Burkina Faso, and another map on how it fits into Africa

http://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/africa/bf.htm

More information about Burkina Faso can be found at this link:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burkina_Faso

[oberliner]

3. There was a horrific terrorist attack there in 2016

That was at a hotel in the same city.

[ucrdem]

4. There's a pan-African film festival held in Ouagadougou every February

called FESPACO



https://www.fespaco.bf/en


It's sort of an African Cannes. UK Guardian, last Feb 27:

Hosted by a city that last year suffered a horrific terrorist attack by extremists, and a country that has just emerged from decades of repressive rule, the legendary festival was celebratory for reasons that went beyond African film and sometimes delved into the political.

“This is the city of creativity, the city of culture, and the capital of African film,” said Armand Béouindé, mayor of Ouagadougou. Roch Marc Kaboré, the president of Burkina Faso, said Fespaco had become “the best vehicle for culture in our continent”, adding: “It has become one of the biggest places for sharing and discovery of African culture, through cinema.”

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/feb/27/pan-africa-festival-of-film-projects-a-renewed-sense-of-optimism

[oberliner]

5. Update: Burkina Faso terror attack kills 20, government says

Twenty people have been killed and a number wounded in a "terrorist attack" in the centre of the capital of Burkina Faso, Ouagadougou, the government says.

Gunmen opened fire on customers seated outside a restaurant, witnesses said. One Turkish citizen died but other nationalities are yet to be confirmed.

The attack is now over, authorities say, with the two assailants also killed by security forces.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-40920338

[leftynyc]

6. Any idea why

"terrorist attack" is in quotation marks?

[oberliner]

7. They have since removed those quotation marks from the article

Good catch - I wonder if others complained prompting the change.