'Cowardly' Ouaga al-Qaeda attack 'horrifies me'

Presidential hopeful Nana Akufo-Addo has said he was shocked and horrified by the weekend attack on a hotel in Ouagadougou by al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) terrorist group.

“The news about the terrorist attacks that took place over the weekend at the Splendid Hotel in Burkina Faso, which left 28 persons dead and several scores of people injured and traumatised, have left me in utter shock and horror.

“I join the rest of the world in condemning these attacks, and sympathise with the families of the dead and wounded,” the flagbearer of Ghana’s biggest opposition party said in a statement Sunday.

These attacks, the three-time flagbearer said, “are a stark reminder about the threat terrorism poses to the world, with some countries in Africa being recent targets, and the duty it imposes on us all to help combat this scourge.”

The citizens of Burkina Faso, he said, deserve to go about their daily lawful activities without being terrorised by a group of cowardly people.

“I appeal to all Burkinabes to remain steadfast. They have the solidarity of the Ghanaian people and of all peace-loving people in Africa. President Roch Marc Christian Kaboré and the people of Burkina Faso need to be assured with deeds, not just words that the world stands with them and stands ready to support them in the necessary fight against such evil. God bless the Burkinabe people and God bless the Ghanaian people.” Mr Akufo-Addo added.

Meanwhile, security forces in Burkina Faso have retaken the hotel on Saturday, a day after the attack on the landlocked nation, which has been an ally of Western governments in the fight against jihadist groups in the arid reaches of the southern Sahara. The terror attack follows a similar raid in November on a luxury hotel in Mali's capital Bamako, which killed 20 people, including citizens of Russia, China and the United States.

President Roch Marc Christian Kabore said 28 people were killed in the 146-room Splendid Hotel, in the Cappuccino restaurant across the street and at a second nearby hotel, the Hotel Yibi, according to an initial death toll.

Speaking on state-run television, Kabore said 156 hostages had been freed by the security operation to retake the area while around 50 civilians had been wounded. Four members of the security forces, including one French soldier, were also wounded.

"Faced with these terrorists and their vile acts, we must mobilise to ensure the appropriate response to put them out of action," Kabore said.

"We will emerge victorious from this war, which has been imposed upon our people and all other people of the world who want peace and freedom," he said, adding that the nation would observe three days of mourning from Sunday.