UPDATED: Rwanda commiserates with Burkinabe people following terror attack

President Paul Kagame has conveyed his and the people of Rwanda’s condolences to Burkina Faso following a terror attack on Sunday that killed at least 17 people. Reacting to a post by his Burkinabe counterpart Roche M. Kabore regarding the attack that happened in a restaurant in the capital Ouagadougou, President Kagame wrote; “The people of #Rwanda and I stand with you and your Nation.” Earlier on Monday, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation and Government spokesperson, Louise Mushikiwabo had also commiserated with the people of the west African country, also through the same social media platform. Mushikiwabo conveyed the message through her Burkinabe counterpart Alpha Barry.“Through my brother AlphaBarry, fraternal solidarity of Rwanda in Burkina and families affected, following a murderous attack in Ouaga(dougou)!” she wrote. According to a government statement, the incident also left at least 18 people injured. Authorities said the shooting broke out at the restaurant located on the Nkrumah Avenue in downtown Ouagadougou around 9 p.m. local time (2100 GMT). Security forces were dispatched to the scene and blocked the neighborhood, according to Xinhua, a Chinese news agency.Policemen were then engaged in a firefight with the attackers. Nearby residents were quoted by local reports as saying that gunshots and explosions were continuously heard. The nationalities of the dead remain unclear, the statement said.Police asked citizens to calm down and stay home, especially not to go to the city center. Up till now, the blockade has not been lifted.In January, 2016, terrorists attacked Splendid Hotel, a luxury hotel and restaurant in the same neighborhood, causing around 30 deaths. Al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb afterwards claimed responsibility for the incident on a website titled Jihad.A landlocked nation in West Africa, Burkina Faso has suffered several attacks in recent years.

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UPDATED: Rwanda commiserates with Burkinabe people following terror attack