A child and two journalists were injured Saturday after Burkina Faso police fired tear gas to disperse hundreds of protesters at an anti-government rally in the capital, as anger over jihadist violence mounted in the impoverished country.ADVERTISING

Hundreds of opponents of President Roch Kaboré took to the streets in response to a recent surge of attacks in Burkina Faso, including one by al Qaeda-linked militants that killed dozens of military police officers and four civilians.

City authorities had banned the gathering, and anti-riot police on Saturday fired tear gas to prevent the demonstrators from gathering for the rally in a square in the centre of the capital, Ouagadougou, where substantial police and security forces had been deployed and all shops closed.

One of the protesters, 28-year-old Fabrice Sawadogo, said that “after seven years of failure to prevent the terrorist attacks… it is time to ask the government to go”. The “incompetent” administration “has to admit it has failed”, he said. 

Angry youths erected makeshift barricades and burned tyres in several neighbourhoods, including in front of the ruling party headquarters, in an effort to block police

One protester said he and others had come down for a peaceful protest, but that the police’s reaction had been excessive, forcing them to set up the barricades. “We don’t want to burn down a country already at war, but when faced with savagery, we will defend ourselves,” he said.

Child hurt, journalists attacked

An AFP correspondent said a child who appeared younger than 10 was injured after security forces fired the tear gas. Protesters handed the minor over to an anti-riot squad to get treatment.

Local media outlets Pomega and Filinfos said two of their journalists also suffered injuries from the tear gas.

Some youths vandalised part of the civil registry building, after trying unsuccessfully to torch the town hall whose boss had banned the rally.

In another incident, a mob attacked the car of AFP’s journalist in the city. “The crowd set upon us, throwing stones,” photo-video reporter Olympia de Maismont said. “They wanted to block our car and yelled ‘France, we don’t want you here!'”