Six Canadians among 23 killed in Burkina Faso attack

An al-Qaida affiliate known as AQIM, or al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb, claimed responsibility online as the attack was ongoing in downtown Ouagadougou at the 147-room hotel, according to the SITE Intelligence Group.

Dr Ken Elliott and his wife Jocelyn, originally from WA, had been running a hospital in the country’s north in the town of Djibo, close to Burkina Faso’s border with Mali. A further 56 people were injured, several of them seriously, according to Thieba.

The pastor hid in the cafe and survived, but the following morning Mr Riddering’s body was found by a fellow missionary in a local morgue.

Attackers struck an upscale hotel popular with Westerners in Burkina Faso’s capital late Friday, fueling the recent political turmoil in the West African country.

Burkina Faso has declared three days of national mourning.

He said they were alive and more details would be released. Four terrorists died in a special police operation.

A Reuters witness said major clashes ended after a period of sustained gunfire and explosions that appeared to focus on the Cappuccino restaurant early on Saturday. Inside, Burkinabe and French security officials were conducting an investigation.

“Our great thrust is surgery because that is, in our opinion, lacking throughout the country and throughout the region of West Africa”, he said.

Yesterday’s violence mirrored an attack on the Radisson Blu hotel in neighbouring Mali in November that left 20 people dead.

France’s embassy warned its citizens in December against travelling to a national park in Burkina Faso following reports that Malian jihadists were threatening to kidnap foreigners.

Simon Compaore, the interior minister, said the siege was lifted at around 8am local time on Saturday, with 126 people rescued and all three attackers dead.

Along with the extremists, at least 23 people – including at least one American – were killed and 33 wounded after gunmen attacked the Splendid Hotel and a nearby cafe. In October 2014, a coup overthrew long-time leader Blaise Compaore.

“U.S. forces were primarily advising and providing information to the response forces from the Burkina Faso and French militaries”, said Chuck Prichard, a spokesman at Africa Command’s headquarters in Stuttgart.