a nutshell after shopping


In a nutshell, the events of last days:

  • on thursday evening, the presidential guard started an uproar, firing at the presidency, the president leaving the capital for a short while (well, leaving is a mild term) - the uproar would have been started because of allowances not being paid out in time.
  • the uproar expanded to other military barracks, heavy looting reported in the centre of the city. Some houses of big military chiefs (as well as some mayors) have been burned down.
  • friday, the mutiny continued - less heavy then before, while mutineers harassed people, stole cars from citizens (mostly jeeps). In the evening the president sent the government back home, sacked the current commanders in chief of the army, and appointed new ones. He also paid out the presidential guard. 
  • during the night, the presidential guard and police have started to patrol in the city to establish some peace and quiet.
  • saturday, all shops and fuel stations remain closed. There's no more mutiny on the streets. I still could get hold of some fish, brochettes and potatoes for a bbq tonight. There are remains of burned down and trashed vehicles.
  • shopkeepers from the central market seem to have set fire to the office of the CDP (the ruling party) in the centre of the city - they are clearly fed up with the situation.

Still, we're ok here. No worries - Belgium has one more thing in common with Burkina Faso now: no government.

Next update is really going to be bout work!

The supermarket where we used to do some of our shopping.
Looted during the night and set to fire afterwards. 

5 comments:

  1. Zo Kris, wat een avontuurlijk land zo. Is het toevallig dat dit allemaal is gestart sinds jij er bent aangekomen :-D

    Let goed op jezelf,

    Groetjes,
    Sander

    ReplyDelete
  2. Ik hoop van wel ! ;)

    Groet,
    Kris

    ReplyDelete
  3. Een artikel op nrc.nl:
    http://www.nrc.nl/nieuws/2011/04/17/ministerie-ontraadt-alle-reizen-naar-onrustig-burkina-faso/

    ReplyDelete
  4. gozer!

    Ik moet bekennen dat ik nog weinig heb gelezen van je avonturen, maar dat ik eigenlijk bij toeval de laatste dagen meer begin te lezen en vandaag ineens op NU las van het advies. Je valt met je neus in de boter! Africa is ruwe rode aarde. Hou je antennes wel op, want als de dam breekt dan weet je hoe het daar kan zijn. Maar dat weet je waarschijnlijk minimaal net zo goed als ik.

    Groeten van een oude vriend.

    Remi.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hmmm, mijn vorige comment moest natuurlijk 'ik hoop van niet' zijn ipv. 'ik hoop van wel'.

    He Remi: Alle antennes zijn uitgestoken - we volgen de situatie op (samen met VSO en de Belgische ambassade hier).

    ReplyDelete