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Students Join Protests in Burkina Faso

   VOA News  April 18, 2011
   Anti-riot gendarmes prepare during a demonstration by some 300
   shopkeepers near the Ouagadougou "Rood Wooko" great market, Burkina
   Faso, April 16, 2011

Photo: AFP

   Anti-riot gendarmes prepare during a demonstration by some 300
   shopkeepers near the Ouagadougou "Rood Wooko" great market, Burkina
   Faso, April 16, 2011

   The unrest continues to spread in Burkina Faso, with students staging
   violent protests in Koudougou as army protests expanded to a fourth
   city.
   Student protesters burned down the headquarters of the ruling party in
   Koudougou Monday, and also set fire to the former prime minister's
   house.
   Meanwhile in the northern city of Kaya, soldiers and police fired shots
   into the air and went on a looting spree to protest that their housing
   and daily food allowances had not been paid. The disturbances, which
   originated at the presidential compound Ouagadougou, have also taken
   place in Po and Tenkodogo. The Kaya protests mark the first time police
   have taken part in the unrest.
   Anger in the country have been simmering since February, with students
   and residents protesting against rising food prices, crime, and
   frustration over the slow pace of reform from President Blaise
   Compaore's government.
   Compaore dissolved his government and named a new army chief Friday in
   response to the protests. His government has warned that protesting
   soldiers will face "the full force of the law."
   At least 45 people have been injured in the violence and a number of
   rapes have also been reported.

   Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.

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