Protesters besiege French embassy

Burkina Faso's military junta accused France of sheltering the ousted leader

Crowds of protesters tried to storm the French embassy in Ouagadougou on Saturday, after Burkina Faso’s special forces staged a second military coup in a year, and accused the former colonial power of aiding the ousted leader, Lt. Col. Paul Henri Sandaogo Damiba, whose whereabouts remain unknown.

“Damiba has tried to retreat to the Kamboinsin French military base to prepare a counteroffensive in order to sow divide amongst our defense and security forces,” spokesman Lt. Jean Baptiste Kabre announced on state television on Saturday on behalf of the new junta leadership.

France’s Foreign Ministry issued a statement denying any involvement in the events unfolding in Burkina Faso, and insisted that the “camp where the French forces are based has never hosted Paul Henri Sandaogo Damiba nor has our embassy.”