2016 Ouagadougou attacks
| 2016 Ouagadougou attacks | |
|---|---|
The Splendid Hotel in 2008
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 The Splendid Hotel
The Splendid Hotel
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| Location | Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso |
| Coordinates | 12°21′40″N 1°31′05″W / 12.36111°N 1.51806°WCoordinates: 12°21′40″N 1°31′05″W / 12.36111°N 1.51806°W |
| Date | 15–16 January 2016 19:30 – ~next morning (GMT) |
| Target | Cappuccino restaurant, Splendid Hotel and Yibi hotel with Westerners (Alleged) |
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Attack type
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Mass shooting, arson, hostage-taking, sieges, counter-attack |
| Deaths | 30 |
|
Non-fatal injuries
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56+ (including some hostages during the rescue) |
| Victims | 176 hostages (rescued) |
| Perpetrators |
Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb Al-Mourabitoun |
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Number of participants
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6–7 (4 dead, 2–3 on the run) |
| Motive | "Revenge against France and the disbelieving West." |
On 15 January 2016, gunmen armed with heavy weapons attacked the Cappuccino restaurant and the Splendid Hotel in the heart of Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso. The number of fatalities reached 30, while at least 56 were wounded; a total of 176 hostages were released after a government counter-attack into the next morning as the siege ended. Three perpetrators were also killed. The nearby YIBI hotel was then under siege, where another attacker was killed. Notably, former Swiss MPs Jean-Noël Rey and Georgie Lamon were killed. Responsibility for the attack was claimed by Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) and Al-Mourabitoun.
Following the Libyan Civil War, neighbouring Mali has been wracked by instability, including Islamist attacks, in the Northern Mali conflict. Neighbouring countries have also been experiencing a Boko Haram insurgency.
More locally, the 2014 Burkinabé uprising ousted President Blaise Compaoré, while the consequent 2015 Burkinabe coup d'état, in relation to the electoral process, was eventually put down under pressure from the African Union. The recently concluded November 2015 general election then resulted in Roch Marc Christian Kaboré becoming president of Burkina Faso. Burkina Faso is part of the G5 Sahel countries formed to counter insurgent attacks. The Splendid Hotel was sometimes used by French troops who are part of the Chad-based Operation Barkhane. The United States has approximately 75 military personnel in the country, including 15 assigned to the embassy and about 60 who provide "security assistance" – training, advising and assisting.
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Wikipedia