A court in Burkina Faso has handed life sentences to two men over a 2017 attack on the Aziz Istanbul restaurant in Ouagadougou that claimed 19 lives. The gunmen opened fire on patrons in the Turkish eatery located on the capital’s main avenue, killing 10 Burkinabes and nine foreigners.
Security forces killed the two attackers during a counter-assault, while the two convicted individuals were apprehended in 2018 after a lengthy investigation. The attack was part of a series of incidents targeting areas frequented by expatriates, including a 2016 hotel assault that left 30 dead and a 2018 strike on the army headquarters and French embassy, killing eight soldiers.
Prosecutor Lafama Prosper Thiombiano announced plans to try eight more suspects in connection with the 2018 attacks, though no date has been set.
Burkina Faso continues to grapple with escalating violence, which has displaced nearly two million people and claimed over 26,000 lives since 2015, according to ACLED.
