Today is another sad day up north in Burkina Faso.
Seventeen people have been killed and eight wounded in a “terrorist attack” in the centre of the capital of Burkina Faso, Ouagadougou, the government says.
Three gunmen opened fire on customers seated outside a restaurant, witnesses were quoted as saying.
Security forces killed three attackers, but some people are still trapped in the building, Communication Minister Remis Dandjinou says.
A jihadist attack on a cafe nearby left 30 people dead in January last year.
There are fears that the attack is the work of one of the affiliates of al-Qaeda that are active in the Sahel region, the BBC reports.
The shooting began shortly after 21:00 (21:00 GMT) on Sunday on Ouagadougou’s busy Kwame Nkrumah Avenue.
One eyewitness told the BBC: “I saw there were multiple trucks or jeeps driving through my street, with… local army/police officers with AK47s, deploying in front of my house.
“I heard a lot of shootings and then I was scared as hell and I went inside. I’ve been hearing quite a bit of shooting.”
Police captain Guy Ye told Associated Press that the attackers had arrived on motorcycles and had begun shooting randomly.
A government statement quoted by the AFP news agency said: “The attack claimed 17 victims, their nationalities are yet to be confirmed, and eight injured.”
A wounded restaurant customer sits on the ground following an attack by gunmen on a restaurant in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso is part of the Sahel region, which includes Mali where Islamist groups have been active since 2012.
A multinational force run by African nations to target jihadist forces in the Sahel region has been established, but it will not be operational until later this year.
Well…they can’t break our stride. Cowards they are