On Sunday, as unrest raged around the nation, security officers used tear gas on scores of protesters who threw stones at the French embassy in the nation’s capital.
A day after he claimed that the ousted military leader had hid at a French base to prepare a “counter-attack,” hundreds gathered outside the building in Ouagadougou, according to Sputnik.
Protesters stoned the building and set fire to barricades outside while French forces watched from the rooftop.
According to Agence France-Presse, French soldiers answered by firing tear gas canisters from within the embassy.
The most recent round of violence started on Friday when junior army officers claimed to have overthrown Paul-Henri Sandaugo Damiba, the head of the junta, for failing to put an end to terrorist assaults.
Officers stated in a statement carried on national television on Saturday that Damiba “is suspected to have taken sanctuary at the French installation in Campuensen in order to prepare a counterattack to cause instability in the country.” The statement was signed by Captain Brahim Traore, the nation’s new leader.
Damiba denied claims that he was at a French facility later on Saturday, but he made no more mention of his location.
The former colonial power in Burkina Faso, France, denied Saturday that it had “any involvement” in the events or that the French military had hosted or protected the Burkinabe authorities.
French soldiers reportedly used tear gas against demonstrators in Burkina Faso.
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