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Update 2 - Violent Protests Engulf Burkina Faso Capital; 15 Killed

30.10.2014 17:48

At least 15 people were killed when Burkinabe security forces and presidential guards opened fire on demonstrators protesting a proposed constitutional amendment that would allow President Blaise Compaore to seek a third five year term, eyewitnesses have said.

At least 15 people were killed when Burkinabe security forces and presidential guards opened fire on demonstrators protesting a proposed constitutional amendment that would allow President Blaise Compaore to seek a third five-year term, eyewitnesses have said.



The shooting came as violent protests engulfed capital Ouagadougou one day before parliament had been scheduled to debate the amendment proposal.



Earlier in the day, protesters set fire to the parliament building in Ouagadougou after storming and ransacking the premises, according to an Anadolu Agency correspondent.



Demonstrators also ransacked the state television building and the headquarters of the Congress for Democracy and Progress, the country's ruling party.



Protesters also torched the Ouagadougou home of party secretary-general Assimi Koanda and that of Chamber of Commerce President Alizeta Gando.



The home of Communication Minister Alain Edouard Traore in the city of Banfora in the country's southeast was also set ablaze by protesters, who shouted slogans in which they described the minister as "the voice of dictatorship."



The massive demonstrations followed opposition calls for "civil disobedience" on Thursday to protest the proposed constitutional amendment.



According to an AA correspondent, around 100 army troops – led by former defense minister Kouamé Lougue – joined the protesters.



Opposition leaders met with the traditional chief of the Moussi ethnic group, which accounts for roughly 60 percent of the country's population, to negotiate "an end to this crisis," an opposition source, requesting anonymity, told AA.



The government withdrew the controversial amendment proposal on Thursday, but the move failed to appease protesters who went on a looting spree across the capital.



If adopted, the government-proposed amendment would raise to three the maximum number of five-year presidential terms available to a single individual, opening the door for Compaore – in power since 1987 – to seek reelection next year.



For several weeks, the 63-year-old leader's bid to remain in power after 27 years at the helm has drawn angry reactions from the opposition, civil society and many young people.



More than 60 percent of Burkina Faso's 17 million-strong population is under 25 years old and has never known a president other than Compaore.



By Lougri Dimtalba



englishnews@aa.com.tr



www.aa.com.tr/en - Kadiogo



 
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