Burkina Faso ups security after Mali attacks

By Africanews with AFP

The ruling junta in Burkina Faso has tightened security in the capital Ouagadougou in the wake of coordinated attacks in its neighbour and ally Mali, security sources told AFP on Wednesday.

On Tuesday, Burkina Faso’s security ministry announced the launch of an operation aimed at strengthening security across the country and called for vigilance.

It also called on people to report any suspicious behaviour, particularly around sensitive infrastructure such as military barracks, airports, administrative buildings and other installations of national importance.

“A major security operation has been deployed in Ouagadougou and in other parts of the country,” a police source told AFP on condition of anonymity.

A second police source said units have been sent to strategic intersections in the capital.

“The units will also be gathering operational intelligence related to crime and terrorism,” the source added.

The measures came after unprecedented jihadist and Tuareg rebel attacks in Mali, which like Burkina Faso and their Sahel ally Niger is also run by the military.

The three countries have faced repeated attacks from al-Qaeda- and Islamic State-linked extremists for the last decade.

A Burkinabe military source said the army was on a “state of alert because we are at war.”

“Vigilance and watchfulness are still the order of the day, so this [the security operation] is not exceptional even if the situation in Mali calls for greater rigour and vigilance,” the source added.

Niger’s junta on Wednesday cancelled its traditional 1 May parades across the country for security reasons.

The government of Ivory Coast, which neighbours Mali and Burkina Faso to the south, meanwhile said that its borders were secure but that it was expected an “influx of refugees” as a result of the Mali attacks.