APA – Ouagadougou (Cote d’Ivoire) – The “heavy gunfire” heard in Ouagadougou on Monday night was a warning against a “suspicious presence” and a “driver” who had wandered off in the vicinity of the
air base, the army explained late on Tuesday evening.
Heavy gunfire began to be heard at around 00:45 (local time and GMT) in the heart of Burkina Faso’s capital, before ceasing around 40 minutes later, according to witnesses.
“During the night of 31 July to 1 August 2023, a suspicious presence was detected by guards in the vicinity of the main entrance to the air base,” read a statement issued by the army on Tuesday evening.
The staff said that the individuals, who refused to be questioned, were chased by the guards, who had to use their weapons as a warning.
“Despite this, the suspects refused to comply and managed to disappear into thin air,” the army said, adding that the search operation that was carried out did not enable them to be found.
A second incident occurred on the same night. This time it involved a
driver who, according to the press release, took a wrong turn and
ended up in the security area on the north side of the base.
“Following the summons, the driver submitted to the control before being allowed to continue his journey without hindrance,” reassured the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces, who praised “the professionalism of the guards” and called on “the entire population to scrupulously respect the rules in force in the vicinity of military establishments in order to avoid unfortunate situations in the current difficult security context.”
Last Wednesday, the army denied “false reports” of “unrest in certain military barracks.”
SD/ac/fss/APA